


Just Dream It, And Do It

by jiuperior



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25550941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiuperior/pseuds/jiuperior
Summary: 7 university students found their lives intertwined together by one common passion – Volleyball
Comments: 52
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Haikyuu and a little Pitch Perfect
> 
> This AU is not finished and so updates would not be as consistent and as frequent as my previous AUs. 
> 
> My knowledge of volleyball is back from many years ago and Haikyuu therefore, might be inaccurate. I am also not very good at writing sport scenes and a few chapters in, I realize I write more on the drama than volleyball but nevertheless, I hope you will enjoy reading it!
> 
> Do also follow me on twitter @jiuperior if you want to~

The sound of the ball hitting the floor deafened the entire court. The referee blew his whistle indicating the end of the game. One side of the court cheered loudly as they pulled each other into hugs. However, the other side of the court presented an entirely different mood. Some kneeled on the floor due to exhaustion, some simply stood there, envy of the scene on the opposite side of the net while others stared at the ball that had hit the ground, still unable to believe that they had lost and the ones on the bench looked at their teammates with sadness in their eyes. Tears flow down their cheeks as the 6 players on the court walk back to the benches, reflecting on what they could have done more. The team gathered in front of their coach and advisor as they presented to the team a speech that consisted of both comfort and regret. On that day, the seniors’ collegiate volleyball career came to an end. To the second years, their hopes were crushed but for the three freshmen, it was only the beginning.

A year and a half later…

Gahyeon stood at the entrance with her luggage next to her, her long dark brown hair hanging loose about her shoulders. She looked up and there was a huge banner hanging on the gate that said, “WELCOME TO DREAMCATCHER UNIVERSITY”. Staring at the banner, Gahyeon smiled, taking a moment to absorb the scene surrounding her. The university seemed bigger than she had thought. There were many other freshmen like her who were pushing their luggage around and into their dorms and some were saying goodbye to their family members. Gahyeon had already done that with her parents that morning who bawled their eyes out, sending their only child out to society. Her house was nearby, only an hour’s ride away but still, she opted to stay in a dorm for the full university experience. She would be majoring in Mathematics and she could not wait for lessons to start but most importantly, she would be able to finally play volleyball. 

Gahyeon is a huge fan of volleyball. She fell in love with the sport during her first year in high school when she saw a match on TV that left a deep impression on her. She then did what most people her age would do when they discovered something new – go on the internet. Gahyeon would spend hours on end everyday just reading on volleyball or watching competitions or any volleyball related videos on YouTube. But sadly, her high school does not have a volleyball team. Therefore, Gahyeon bought a ball and taught herself the various techniques by watching YouTube videos. She would often practice during lunch and after school but there was no one around her who would correct her if she did something wrong. Hence, Gahyeon was looking forward to finally playing volleyball in University. The thought of finally being able to play volleyball with others who shared the same passion as well as playing in actual matches excited her. Gahyeon did not care for which position they gave her, all of them seemed cool to her. She just wanted to play. 

“Hi there!” A voice shocked Gahyeon causing her to jump a little. Appearing in front of her is a lady wearing a smile so huge that it creeped Gahyeon out. The kind of smile that was flashed to show that they are friendly but in reality, they did not really care. She had on a black DCU Committee shirt and handed Gahyeon a brochure. On the front of the brochure were the words “Freshmen Orientation” printed on it. She opened it up and there was a schedule for the orientation and a list of different activities and events and their descriptions on it. Gahyeon looked forward to attending the activities fair where various clubs set up booths to recruit new members. The committee member asked Gahyeon which hall she would be residing at in which Gahyeon replied “Hall Polaris”. The lady then pointed Gahyeon to a building and Gahyeon began pushing her luggage towards it. Unlike the other freshmen who had brought tons of stuff including huge bear plushies and had like 10 luggages, Gahyeon had packed light. Therefore, she made it to Hall Polaris with ease. Her room was on the 3 rd floor and the building had no elevator, so it took some tugging up the stairs before she reached her room, Room 307. The door was ajar and Gahyeon figured her roommate had probably already reached. She gave the door a few soft knocks before entering, hoping that the person she would be staying with for at least a year is nice.

Upon entering the room, Gahyeon was met with a girl approximately the same height as her. She had on a smile and unlike the DCU committee member she had met just now, this girl’s smile seemed genuine and Gahyeon was able to relax a little.

“Hello!” Her roommate said excitedly while approaching Gahyeon. She extended her hand out for Gahyeon to shake. “I’m Dahyun!”

“Hi, Dahyun. I’m Gahyeon.” Gahyeon took Dahyun’s hand in hers and shook it. She was able to relax a little as her roommate seemed like a pretty nice person.

“I hope you don’t mind that I took the left side of the room.”

“Not at all.” Gahyeon smiled. She paused to look around their room. It was not big but enough and it felt like a cozy place. There were 2 beds on either side of the room, one was already filled with Dahyun’s personal belongings and the other empty. Dahyun had already begun to decorate her side of the room. The walls were decorated with banners and cheer flags. Gahyeon guessed she was a cheerleader and she was proven right when she spotted a photo of Dahyun cheering on her desk next to her pink laptop. Gahyeon dragged her luggage over to her side of the room. She placed it sideways on her bed before opening it up and unloading her things. Unlike Dahyun, Gahyeon did not bring a lot of things for decoration, only a few photos and a poster of her favourite volleyball team. Therefore, she was pretty much settled once she hung up all her clothes and pasted the poster on the wall. Sitting on her bed, Gahyeon took out the brochure she had previously stuffed into her back pocket. According to the schedule, the first thing on the itinerary was a speech from the dean which Gahyeon had already missed. Next up was a campus tour followed by a welcoming concert in the convention centre and lastly ending with a welcoming party at the atrium. All of which are optional. Gahyeon however, was only interested in the activities fair which would be held the entire day.

“A couple of friends and I are going for the campus tour. Wanna come with?” Gahyeon looked up from her brochure and saw that Dahyun was already at the door.

“It’s alright, I’m going to the activities fair.” Gahyeon replied. Dahyun nodded and headed out. Gahyeon stood up, grabbed her keys and headed for the activities fair too.

*

The campus had a large square surrounded by bright green grass. On most days, the square was a comfortable, quiet place. The open space allowed wind to blow through, rustling the grass as its freshly mown smell spread across the square. It was also usually a space for students to hang out or to study on the soft grass. However, on that day, it was a marketplace as tons of booths were set up all over the place. It was filled with music playing, the voices of people shouting and talking around the square as hundreds of new students explored the area. Gahyeon ambled around trying to look for the volleyball club, occasionally stopping at some of the booths that caught her eye such as the Quidditch Team, a Dungeons & Dragons Club, Competitive Gaming Society, an Acappella group as well as many more. It was all fascinating to Gahyeon as her high school did not have a lot of co-curricular activities.

It took Gahyeon approximately an hour to explore the entire activities fair but to her dismay, the volleyball club was not present. She was sure the university had a volleyball club because that was the first thing she looked for when she applied for the university. She headed for the nearest sports club booth, a swim team to ask for information. The students in the swim team were all in their swimming gear which amazed Gahyeon as the weather was not exactly warm and she had to dress in double layers. One of the swimmers informed Gahyeon that not all sports teams were present in the activities fair. There were some who chose to use the time to practice instead of recruiting members and usually it was because they either had enough members and were not taking in anymore, or that they prefer passionate members to look for them instead of the other way around. Gahyeon hoped that the reason the volleyball club was not there was because of the latter. The swimmer then pointed Gahyeon towards the direction of the gyms which Gahyeon excitedly made her way over.

It was further than Gahyeon expected. She had to cross two schools, the School of Business and the Faculty of Law, and the University’s Library before finally reaching the gyms. There were two gyms that stood sturdily before her, each shaped like a dome, connected by a path. Gahyeon could hear the sound of balls bouncing and shoes squeaking against the floor. She excitedly entered the first gym, the gym on the left but was met with the basketball team instead. The sound of the door opening disrupted the boys practicing as their heads turned towards the entrance, all eyes on Gahyeon. She apologized before closing the door and running over to the second gym with the same excitement before. But once again, she was met with disappointment and the same set of intense eyes staring at her but this time it was the girls’ basketball team. Gahyeon apologized again but asked a girl standing on the side of the court who seemed to be the team’s manager, if she knew where she could find the volleyball club. Gahyeon could hear a couple of the basketball players whispering on the bench, “ _ Do we have a volleyball club? _ ” as the manager looked at Gahyeon with a confused look. After contemplating for a moment, the manager finally answered Gahyeon.

“Maybe you can check out the gym at the back? It is further down and you will need to go up a tiny hill but I don’t think anyone has been using it for years ever since these two gyms were built. The area is a little secluded too since it’s at the back of the campus but no harm trying.”

Gahyeon thanked the manager and headed out of the gym with a lot of questions on her mind. Why would the volleyball club use a rundown gym? And the basketball players seemed like they did not know there is a volleyball club on campus? Gahyeon started to question whether she got the right information and began to panic as she made her way toward the secluded gym. It took a little while trying to find the correct path but Gahyeon assumed she was going the right way because it seemed like it was getting more and more quiet. At last, she saw a flight of stairs going up a tiny hill. As she climbed up, the view of the gym became clearer and clearer. It looked like the other two gyms she had seen previously. It too was a dome shape and approximately the same size, perhaps slightly smaller. But unlike the other two gyms, this one was surrounded by dried grass and a couple trees and bushes that are pretty much leafless and seemed to be dying. Most of the paint on the gym had faded but Gahyeon could tell that it was originally orange from the patches of paint left. The entire surrounding was quiet and there was no sound of balls bouncing or shoes squeaking. The only sound she could hear was the blowing of the winds. It was windier there, probably because she was away from the buildings. To be honest, it was kind of eerie looking and not a place Gahyeon wanted to be at night. She was beginning to wonder if there was anyone there too. It did not seem like there were. She took a few steps forward but then she heard it, the sound of a ball being hit echoing out of the gym followed by the ball hitting the floor and bouncing a couple times before the sound came to a stop. It startled Gahyeon as she paused on her tracks, wondering if she heard it right. It went silent for a few seconds before she heard it again and this time, she was sure it was not her imagination. Someone was in there. Excitement rose as she ran to the gym.

It only took a few seconds for Gahyeon to reach the entrance of the gym. Taking a deep breath, she slowly opened the door, not wanting to disrupt whoever it was practicing like she did the first two times. The gym was not brightly lit like the other gyms she had visited, instead, most of the lights were turned off and the only light that was on was blinking. There were tons of blue and yellow striped balls lying everywhere on the gym floor and a net set up in the middle of the court. It might not be the most glamourous sight but still, Gahyeon felt exhilarated as she picked up one of the balls near her feet. It was a volleyball. Looking around, she saw that there was one person in the gym. She was wearing a sleeveless jersey and black shorts. Her red hair was tied up in a high ponytail and her eyes were so focused on the ball, it was like the rest of the world was invisible to her. Gahyeon watched as the girl tossed the ball high into the air, a few feet in front of her. The girl then did a jumping approach as the ball hit its peak and started falling. The girl jumped; her ponytail flew with her. She pulled back her right arm before extending it forward and hitting the ball hard with her hand. The impact made the same sound as the one Gahyeon had heard twice previously. She looked as the ball flew across the net from the left and landed on an empty water bottle that was placed just a few inches inside the end line on the right.

“YES!” The girl shouted as her hand balled into a fist. Gahyeon was astonished by what she had just witnessed. It was her first time seeing a jump serve in person too and she could not be more elated. The red-haired girl bent down to pant and it was only then that she noticed someone standing at the entrance of the gym. Gahyeon saw the girl’s eyes shifted from intense to kind.

“Hi! Can I help you?” The girl said as she walked over to Gahyeon. She was about half a head taller than Gahyeon and her presence was intimidating. It was probably because of the serve Gahyeon had seen earlier, it felt like the ball could tear someone’s arm in half and the fact that she had never seen a volleyball player up close. Her facial expression, however, was different from the vibe she gave off. She had on a warm-hearted, genuine smile along with those kind eyes that eased the tensed up Gahyeon a little.

“Umm… Hi! Is-is this the v-volleyball club?” Gahyeon stuttered, her hands tightened on the ball she was still holding and she tried to smile but it just came off awkward.

“Yes, it is!” The red-haired girl answered and Gahyeon beamed at the confirmation as her smile eased up into an actual one. 

“Well…Yes but also not really…” The volleyball player continued. Gahyeon frowned with confusion at that, having absolutely no idea what the taller girl meant. “We are not an official club. We used to be but then everyone left and because we lacked members, the university kind of closed down our club.”

“It’s closed?” Gahyeon asked. She looked even more confused now. She could not believe what she had just heard and her heart felt like it was crumbling but she was not ready to give up just yet. She did not come all the way here just to be told that her dream was not happening.

“So, is it just you? You said the university closed down due to a lack of members. Does that mean that if the club has enough members, the university will open it back up again? If that is the case, are you recruiting? Because I want to join. Also, how are you able to use the gym if the university closed the club? Does that mean they’re still giving the club a chance?”

“Slow down!” The red-haired girl was overwhelmed by Gahyeon’s questions but amongst them, there was one that was not a question and the taller girl’s eyes widened with enthusiasm at that. 

“W-wait! Did you just say you want to join?” Gahyeon nodded. 

“Oh my God! You want to join!” The girl immediately grabbed both of Gahyeon’s hands and jumped up and down. Once she settled down, she pulled Gahyeon into a hug which startled the shorter girl. The volleyball player quickly pulled away and apologized.

“Sorry, I’m sweaty. But oh my God!” Gahyeon could swear she had never seen anyone smile so brightly before like she had just won a million-dollar lottery. The girl grabbed Gahyeon’s hand and led her into the gym. The two sat down next to the girl’s bags as the girl grabbed her bottle and drank a gulp of water before speaking again.

“Let me answer your question one by one.” The girl began. “But first of all, what’s your name?”

“Lee Gahyeon.” Gahyeon answered and the two shook hands before the taller girl continued.

“Hi Gahyeon, my name is Kim Minji and I am the captain of the volleyball team.” Gahyeon beamed at the word ‘Captain’, it sounded cool. She almost interrupted the girl, but she managed to hold it in and listened to her intently.

“I’m not the only one on the team, there is another girl so yeah, for now, it’s just the two of us. And since she did not want to be captain, the responsibility fell on me. So, it is not as glamourous as you think it is. DCU has never been known for our volleyball but we did have a solid volleyball team way back in the day, way before I even joined. However, we have never won any major tournaments before. The closest we have ever gotten was fourth in the intercollegiate tournament and that was like 7 years ago. Slowly, lesser and lesser people joined the club. I’m currently a final year student but I joined in my freshman year and during then, we only had ten members, making up of mostly seniors. My first match quickly became my last match. The third years retired after that and the second years lost hope too as there were not a lot of us left. Five, to be exact. Things became tough. Nobody joined and hence we were unable to participate in any tournaments or competitions. They left in their third year and hence, the team only left the three of us. With me so far?” Minji asked and Gahyeon nodded. Minji drank another gulp of water before continuing.

“So of course, the University isn’t going to let us continue for long. And it did not help when one of us left shortly afterwards. With just the two of us, and our kind-hearted advisor, we begged the University to let us keep the club. But the best they could do was to let us use this gym for practice since they already had plans to build two more and were planning to tear down this one. So, we are still a club, but not an official one. Which meant that we are not allowed to set up a booth for recruiting members. That said, if others wanted to join our “practice” they are allowed to do so, as unofficial members. If we are able to get at least 7 members, because that’s how many we need in a volleyball team, then the university will let us reopen the club again. Also, we don't have a coach because who's going to pay and nobody's going to coach a team that has only two members for free. We were not allowed to buy new equipment unless it was from our own pockets. The balls and equipment you see around here were old ones or the ones our advisor had managed to get people to donate to us. Aaaand that's about it! Do you still want to join? After hearing the story? If you join, it'll still just be the three of us which still makes us an unofficial club and that means we still won't be able to participate in competitions and you will be practicing in this rundown gym with faulty lights and an eerie exterior that gets kind of creepy at night.”

Gahyeon contemplated for a moment. She had been looking forward to playing volleyball in university and from Minji's story, it was not like their situation was entirely hopeless, though bleak, but not impossible. She just had to work a little harder.

"We will just need 4 more members, right?" Gahyeon asked.

"Yes."

"And I get to play volleyball, though not in competition but still."

"That is the gist of it, yes."

"Then yes, I want to join." Gahyeon said firmly. Minji's eyes lit up with glee as she pulled Gahyeon up and they jumped in circles, only stopping when Minji began to feel dizzy.

"What position do you play?" Minji asked.

"Umm…" Gahyeon looked down in embarrassment and began playing with her fingers. Her leg swinging back and forth making tiny squeaking sounds when they hit the floor. "Actually… I have never played volleyball before…"

Gahyeon tilted her head up a little, trying to catch the reaction of the older girl. Minji’s jaws were dropped and her eyes widened at the revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and feedback are much appreciated :)


	2. Chapter 2

Minji stood frozen on the spot as her eyes remained on Gahyeon, not knowing what to say. Her jaws had dropped lower and even her breathing seemed to have stopped. A minute passed and Gahyeon’s embarrassment had already faded as she leaned closer and stared into Minji’s eyes, wondering if she broke the girl. Gahyeon moved a little to the left and Minji’s eyes would follow. She moved slightly back to her original position and once again, Minji’s eyes followed. Gahyeon could see a drop of sweat run down Minji’s face and onto the floor.

“Minji?” Gahyeon said while waving her hands in front of Minji, trying to bring the older girl back from her daze and it worked as Minji took a deep breath and looked elsewhere for a second before looking back at Gahyeon.

“Yes. Sorry.” Minji’s throat must have dried up as her voice sounded husky. She took in yet another deep breath and tried to think for a moment. From the fiery passion the younger girl had displayed earlier on, Minji would have never guessed that she was a beginner, much less someone who had never played volleyball before.

“Look.” Gahyeon interrupted Minji’s thought process. “I have never played before because my high school does not have a volleyball team but I love the sport. I did my research and I practiced on my own. Though I taught myself using YouTube videos so my techniques and form might not be the best but I am not entirely clueless about it.”

Minji nodded a few times and put her hand on her chin. She was not expecting to teach volleyball but she can work with that. Plus, it was not like they do not have time anyways. Based on their current situation, they are far from becoming an official club and teaching Gahyeon could help hone her skills too. Like the younger girl had said, she was not entirely clueless about it.

“Okay.” Minji said and extended her hand out for Gahyeon to shake again. “Welcome to the team.”

Gahyeon beamed and took Minji’s hands, squeezing it a little too tight and shaking it hard, unable to contain her excitement. Minji smiled at that. After a year and a half, they finally had a new member. Though it was not what she was expecting and she will need to put in a lot more work but it had been awhile since she last saw someone who had a strong passion for volleyball. Minji loved the sport, it was a sport she had been playing for as long as she can remember. She was never the best player and had never made the starting lineup before. She did play a few matches here and there when one of the players had to be subbed out but never an entire match. But Minji made up her lack of talent in the sport with hard work. She would often practice longer than anyone, and even on days when there were no training, Minji would still grab a ball and practice on her own in the park, or in any open space available. Her coach in high school could see the improvement she made and would often encourage her which gave Minji the motivation to continue practicing. She almost made it into the starting lineup in her final year in high school but her place was taken by a first year. It dampened Minji’s spirit but she could not deny that the first-year student was just better than her. Before she graduated, Minji’s coach had pulled her aside and asked that she do not give up and that her hard work would pay off someday. With that in mind, Minji became more driven, practicing for even longer hours every day.

University was supposed to be Minji’s turning point. DCU was her coach’s alma mater too. Her coach had warned her about their volleyball team’s history but Minji was so inspired by her coach, she wanted to play in the same school as her. Her turning point quickly became her low point but if there was anything Minji was proud of, it would be her ability to pick herself up. She was used to it. If she did not have her optimism, she had nothing. Even while others left, Minji believed that there would be a day when she would get to play in a real match and with that belief, she trained harder, awaiting for that day to come. But if she were honest with herself, the fire did die down a little, as it would for anybody. Gahyeon’s appearance however, changed that and Minji was grateful for it. Seeing the younger girl's passion relit the fire in Minji. She could not say that it was back to as strong as it was before but it did grow a little as she looked at the girl who got so elated at four simple words, “Welcome to the team” and Minji could somehow see herself in Gahyeon. Maybe her final year in DCU would be different after all.

After Gahyeon settled down from her excitement, Minji requested for the younger girl to show her the things she had practiced. Minji needed to gauge her skill level so that she can know what they will be working with. Nerves grew in Gahyeon as she took off her jacket and placed it on the side. Minji could sense that the younger girl was nervous so she patted Gahyeon on the back, reassuring the girl and to Gahyeon’s amazement, her nerves faded.

Minji had Gahyeon show her several things such as her serving, her receives, her overhead pass, her spikes and her blocks. Minji would then take notes with her notebook and pen of Gahyeon’s form and the things she could improve on. There were a number of things on the list that needed work but to Minji’s surprise, the younger girl had some spring in her. It was not usual for a first timer to be able to jump as high as Gahyeon did, though it was lower than Minji’s jump, considering her height, it was enough for Gahyeon’s hands to go above the net. Minji questioned if Gahyeon did any other sports before such as track and field but Gahyeon answered that the only workout she did was Pilates as a side hobby which explained a lot. Pilates build flexibility and muscles which could aid in jumping and with Gahyeon’s own volleyball training, it was no wonder that she could jump higher than people who first started out in the sport.

The session went on for a little over an hour before Minji decided that they should stop. Gahyeon immediately lay her entire body on the floor as she panted. Minji gave Gahyeon a towel to wipe her sweat and an extra water bottle she had brought which the younger girl immediately gulped it down in one go. They definitely needed to work on stamina but things would have been better if Gahyeon had been in a better gear. A long-sleeved shirt and jeans were not ideal for sports, especially one that required constant moving around, bending and jumping but the younger girl was not expecting to immediately start doing vigorous exercise the minute she joined. The two rested for awhile before Minji suddenly stood up after looking at the caged-up clock on the wall.

“Oh shit!” Minji exclaimed as she began packing, stuffing everything into her gym bag. Gahyeon looked as the older girl rushed to pick up the balls and throw them into the cart. 

“Help me with these.” Gahyeon nodded and immediately stood up to help Minji keep the balls. Minji threw the store key to Gahyeon, who failed to catch it, before climbing up to take down the net. Gahyeon picked up all the balls scattered around the gym and put them into the cart. She pushed it towards the gym store which was just located at the far end of the gym. Using the key Minji gave her, she unlocked the store and pushed the cart in. There were a couple thick exercise mats on one side of the store and some other dumbbells and weight training equipment all of which seemed to be a little rusty but otherwise in pretty good condition. There were a few pairs of black or white knee pads on one of the shelves and Gahyeon picked one of the black ones up to take a good look at it. There were a few holes on it but usable and on the edges of both knee pads were the initials KBR sewn on it with purple threads. Gahyeon wanted to ask Minji who or what KBR meant but was interrupted by the captain instead.

“Come on, Gahyeon! Let’s go!”

Gahyeon put the kneepads back to their original position before exiting the store and locking it up in a hurry. Minji received the keys back from Gahyeon, double checked that the store was locked, off the only light that was on, locked up the gym before pulling Gahyeon into a full speed run. All the while, the younger girl had no idea where they were rushing to, only following closely behind Minji. At some point, Minji had let go of Gahyeon’s hand and the distance between them got further and further as Minji ran tirelessly.

Finally, after what seemed like a ten-minute sprint, Minji stopped. She looked back to the direction she came from, trying to spot Gahyeon and when she at last spotted her, she gestured to the girl who was running out of breath, over. The minute Gahyeon reached Minji, she bent down and panted hard. Once she managed to catch her breath, Gahyeon got back up and realized they were at the convention centre. Hanging on the entrance of the convention centre was a banner that said “Freshmen Welcoming Concert”.

“Come on. Let me introduce you to our other teammate.” Minji said and pulled Gahyeon into the convention centre. They entered one of the halls which was packed with audience. The concert had already started and currently taking the stage was one of the university’s acappella groups performing Problem by Natalia Kills. The duo managed to find two seats next to each other in the middle of one of the rows. They quietly tried to go past a couple other students, Gahyeon had accidentally stepped on one of the student’s feet and she whispered an apology, to get to those seats. The acappella group ended their song just as the two managed to sit down. The previously quiet audience exploded with applause and screams. The group bowed to the audience and exited the stage.

“Let’s give another round of applause to the Aca Pitches!” The host said into the microphone and once again, the audience roared with applause. “Next up, we have a final year music production student, performing her arrangement of EXO’s Overdose! Let us welcome, Lee Siyeon!” The audience started clapping when a long, black-haired girl went up on stage, dragging a microphone stand. She had on a black leather outfit that showed off her shoulders and high black boots. The last thing Gahyeon saw was a fierce wolf-like pair of eyes before the hall became dark. The back of the stage went red as red and yellow lights pointed at the girl on stage, showing a perfect silhouette. The hall was silent as they waited for the music to begin playing.

“AWOOOOO LEE SIYEONNNN!” Minji suddenly howled and yelled. It sounded exceptionally loud due to the quiet hall and it startled Gahyeon. Gahyeon assumed that was the girl Minji wanted to introduce her to. A soft piano melody started playing and Siyeon began singing. It was different than the original version as Siyeon started soft before transitioning into a rock sound. Intense light shone everywhere as Siyeon rocked the stage with her strong and perfectly controlled vocals. Gahyeon had initially decided to focus on the performance when she figured out that the girl on stage would be her teammate, but she realized quickly that there was no need to. There was no way anyone could look away from that stage. The girl totally had everyone in her grasp as she owned the entire hall. It was like she sucked all the anger, addictions, obsessions and inner desires of everyone in the audience, mixed them all together and burst it out. When the song ended, Siyeon let out a smile that said “you can all thank me later” before it disappeared. Her gaze pierced into the soul of every single one of the audiences as they remained silent for a few seconds, trying to take it all in. Then, in an instant, the hall exploded with claps and screams as the audience cheered for the Rockstar on stage. Gahyeon screamed and clapped loudly in her seat while Minji jumped up and down yelling Siyeon’s name. Siyeon saw her friend cheering loudly for her and she could not help but smile shyly as she waved at her friend. Gahyeon was surprised at the transition from a confident and fierce Rockstar to a shy and seemingly soft friend. Siyeon bowed and went backstage.

Minji and Gahyeon sat through the entire concert afterwards and it took Minji everything in her not to drag Gahyeon out of the hall to find her friend because it would be rude. There were some pretty cool performances too by the various other clubs on campus. Gahyeon found the medieval cosplay skit to be quite cool and The Greatest Showman dance performance was amazing. But what Gahyeon was most fascinated by was the finale – a mini Cirque du Soleil performance. Though it was not the actual thing, it was beyond cool. Gahyeon had her jaws dropped the entire performance. Even Minji, who had zero interests in the other performances were too, amazed by it. They could tell why they had put it as the finale performance. Everyone was talking about it when they exited the convention centre.

Siyeon had texted Minji earlier that she would be meeting her at the atrium where the freshmen welcoming party would be held and that was where Minji and Gahyeon were headed for as soon as they got out of the centre. Gahyeon, having missed, or rather, skipped the campus tour, had no idea where the atrium was. Therefore, she just followed Minji blindly.

It turned out that the atrium was located near the entrance of DCU and there was no way anyone could miss it. It was the first building people see upon entering the university and the area was big. On top of it were the huge block letters that spelled ‘Atrium’. The ground floor is an open space area and smacked right in the centre was the university’s radio station that rode up two more stories. The ground floor of the radio station was visible to the public and hence people could see the DJs doing their thing but not the higher floors. 

The party had already started when Gahyeon and Minji arrived. Loud music played in the background, echoing throughout the space while people scattered around. There were two buffet lines queued with hungry students and a couple tables serving alcohol. Stationed at the entrance of the atrium were the “bouncers” but really, they were there to give the freshmen their welcome packages.

“Freshmen?” One of the male bouncers asked when Gahyeon and Minji approached.

“Just her.” Minji answered. The bouncer handed Gahyeon the welcoming package – a tote bag with a couple items inside them. He mentioned that the package was only exclusive to people who attended the party before welcoming Gahyeon to the university. Gahyeon looked inside the bag and saw that there was a tee with the university’s logo printed on the front, a university flag and banner, a tiny water bottle, a pen and a hand sanitizer, all having the university’s logo printed on them too.

“Minji!” The duo looked around to see where the voice came from and spotted the black-haired girl waving at Minji from one of the buffet lines. Minji took hold of Gahyeon’s hand and led her over, stopping at one end of the tables to grab two plastic plates and cutleries, before inserting themselves in between Siyeon and the rest of the queue. Gahyeon gave an apologetic smile when she felt the glare of a few people queuing up behind them which seemed to not faze the two older girls.

“Who’s this?” Siyeon asked when she noticed Minji was not alone. Minji smiled excitedly at the mention of Gahyeon as she tugged on the freshmen who were still apologizing and Gahyeon turned her head toward her two seniors, giving Siyeon an awkward smile.

“This, Siyeon, is our new member!” Minji exclaimed and Siyeon looked at Gahyeon, surprised. She was definitely not expecting someone to join them, especially not this early in the year.

“Hi, I’m Gahyeon.” Gahyeon introduced herself and extended a hand which Siyeon shook almost immediately.

“I’m Siyeon.”

“Siyeon here, is one of- “, Minji hesitated before continuing, “is our left-wing spiker!” Gahyeon gasped at that even though she was not surprised. From Gahyeon’s understanding, the left-wing spiker is a position that is normally given to players with the strongest attacks. It is the position that the setter faces and therefore when things get crazy, it is usually the place setter sets to. From the performance that Gahyeon had witnessed earlier at the convention centre, she could pretty much guess Siyeon’s position on the team due to her intimidating demeanour on stage. Maybe, it was a little stereotypical of her but that was her first thought and she was right. 

The trio proceeded to getting their food and sitting down on one of the tables that was available in the crowded atrium but not before Minji grabbed two cups of beer for her and Siyeon, Gahyeon opting for banana milk instead. Lessons start the following day and she had no intention of showing up on her first day in less than perfect condition. Also, she loves banana milk. The three of them then engaged in a conversation. Minji explained to Siyeon their current situation, about how Gahyeon was a beginner and needed more help so they will have to revise their training regime. But it was not like they had a fixed one to begin with. Gahyeon was a little worried if Siyeon would accept her into the team due to her skill level but she quickly realized it was redundant as Siyeon gave her a reassuring smile and Gahyeon was glad that she was cool with it.

Through their conversation, Gahyeon found out that like Minji, Siyeon had been playing volleyball since a young age but had more in game experience as compared to Minji. But to Siyeon, volleyball was always more like a hobby than something she wanted to do for the rest of her life. Her greatest passion lies in music. Her dream was to be a music producer and she would spend a lot of time in the studio writing and producing music. She would often rearrange songs into her own versions and upload them onto her soundcloud and that also meant that she had less time for volleyball training. Unlike Minji who trained every day, Siyeon only turned up for training every alternate day and sometimes once a week if she was busy with a project. To be honest, Siyeon was beginning to lose motivation in volleyball. She felt that there was no point since they might not get to play anyways. Minji knew about it since they would often talk about their feelings with each other, having been friends and her confidante for the past two years, and she was glad that Minji understood her. But this was a conversation for another day or maybe not at all and it was not something she would tell Gahyeon, at least not when they just met. 

The trio then started talking about the high school volleyball competition that happened a few months ago, while Gahyeon was in her last year of high school. Minji and Siyeon had gone to watch the finals which surprised Gahyeon because she, too, was there. The place where they held the finals was a little further out in the city but still the three managed to be in the same place at the same time due to their shared interest and Gahyeon felt a little emotional at that. They might have even bumped into each other at some point but did not know that they would meet a few months later.

“Hey, remember that libero genius that won best libero?” Siyeon asked. “I saw her earlier today when she stopped by the studio this morning. Turns out, she is taking the same major as I am.”

“What?!” Minji exclaimed while Gahyeon stared at Siyeon intently.

“Yeah! I was double checking my performance music in the studio this morning when she came in. She said she’ll be majoring in music production too and wanted to check out the studio.” Siyeon began explaining. “I did not recognize her at first but I knew she looked familiar and it was only after she left frantically like she had seen a ghost or something that I remembered who she was.”

Gahyeon let her eyes drift away from Siyeon to the crowd behind her and what caught her eyes made her choke on her banana milk.

“Oh my God, speak of the devil.” Gahyeon said while coughing. “And I don’t think it’s just her.” 

She pointed at the other end of the atrium. Minji and Siyeon looked over at where she was pointed at and sure enough, Siyeon spotted the girl she had seen twice before leaning on one of the pillars in the atrium with a cup in hand, while engaging in a conversation with another girl who was taller and had long pink hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated! Thank you :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Work is getting pretty busy and I've been in a writing slump these days too so I apologize if updates were less frequent than before.

“Her vocals! I swear those were the most heavenly vocals I have ever heard! And we got to hear it live! Best, BEST performance!” Yubin leaned against the pillar, taking a sip of beer before resting her head on the pillar, her short, light brown hair pressed against it. She looked up at the ceiling as she thought back to the performance she had witnessed earlier that day.

“I don’t know, Yubin. I felt that the circus performance was unbeatable.” Yoohyeon replied while putting the last spoon of rice into her mouth. Yubin lifted her head from the pillar and stared up at Yoohyeon, looking offended. “I mean, did you see that last flip? And the fire burning while she spun through it? I was on my toes the entire performance!”

Yubin was about to retaliate when she felt three girls approaching them from behind Yoohyeon. She immediately stood up when she saw that one of the girls was none other than Lee Siyeon herself, the girl she was just praising about to her friend. Following closely behind her were two other girls she did not recognize but she could not care less. Her focus was on Lee Siyeon and Lee Siyeon only. Yoohyeon, who felt her friend tensing up, turned to look at who she was staring at and giggled when she saw the reason why Yubin was standing so still.

“Hi, we meet again.” Siyeon said to Yubin.

“H-hi!” Yubin answered, a little bit louder than her normal speaking volume. Yoohyeon made a mental note to tease her friend about it later. Yubin was usually confident in front of other people, even strangers, so it was not every day that Yoohyeon got to see her all nervous and stuttering. 

“These are my friends, Minji and Gahyeon.” Siyeon introduced and the two girls behind her waved at Yubin and Yoohyeon. Gahyeon, celebrating internally beneath the calm exterior when Siyeon introduced her as a friend, not to mention she was currently standing in front of Lee Yubin and Kim Yoohyeon, two of the best volleyball players in her high school days. She remembered being amazed by them during the finals when she watched it live. It was getting harder to control her excitement but she managed to keep it in. Yubin was in the same state as Gahyeon but unlike Gahyeon, she was failing miserably at keeping calm, at least to Yoohyeon who knew her inside out. She was able to manage out a hi before shutting down again, eyes not leaving Siyeon. Siyeon, who had witnessed the girl freeze twice just thought she was shy though the staring was starting to creep her out.

Yoohyeon waited for Yubin to introduce her to the three girls in front of them but slowly realized that it was not going to happen. She had no idea why she was waiting when Yubin was clearly starstruck and at a loss for words.

“Hi, I’m Yoohyeon.” Yoohyeon introduced herself cheerfully. “Sorry about my friend here, she is a big fan of Siyeon.” That earned her a smack in the arm from Yubin but it was worth it when she saw Yubin’s face turn a deep shade of red. 

“Me? I did not know I had fans. Thank you.” Siyeon smiled at Yubin but she was more confused than anything. Sure, she had a soundcloud account, but it was not like the music she posted ever blew up or anything. Usually, there were only a few listeners, the most barely crossed over a hundred. But it explained why the girl in front of her behaved that way twice when she saw her.

“I-I just chanced upon your soundcloud one day and loved your arrangements. I did not know you were a student here! It’s not like I’m stalking you or anything!” Yubin did not know why she needed to explain herself and it was taking everything in Yoohyeon not to laugh out loud at how flustered her friend was. She wished she could capture that moment forever.

“Well, we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other soon. Maybe we could work together on a project or something? I’d love to hear some of your works too!” Siyeon suggested and Yubin’s eyes sparkled at that. Siyeon could see the younger girl’s smile went from creepy to genuine excitement.

“That would be great!” Yubin exclaimed, her brain already searching for the demos she would be showing Siyeon.

“By the way, we were there in your finals. Congratulations on winning the competition and for getting best libero.” Siyeon said to Yubin before turning towards Yoohyeon, “And best middle blocker.” The two were stunned for a few seconds before they thanked Siyeon. But the older girl could see their smile faded a little and she wondered why.

“I didn’t know you like volleyball.” Yubin said and Siyeon nodded. 

“Yeah, the three of us are on the volleyball team and Minji’s our captain.” Siyeon gestured for Minji to take over and the taller girl stepped in, offering both girls a handshake which they shook.

“First of all, congratulations. Your performance was remarkable in the finals. I am sure there were a lot of universities that have approached the two of you, so we were definitely not expecting to see the two of you here since we’re not exactly famous for our volleyball team. In fact, we are not even official and it is just the three of us for now. We are trying to establish a team so that we can compete in the intercollegiate competition and we would love it if the two of you can join us.”

“Thank you and I’m sorry but we are going to have to reject your offer. We have quit volleyball.” Yubin said. She drank the last of her beer and took hold of Yoohyeon’s empty hand – the other still holding on to her empty plate – and led her out of the atrium. Yoohyeon gave the three girls an apologetic look before leaving the three girls who had a look of disappointment and puzzlement. 

“Was it something I said?” Minji asked Siyeon and Gahyeon. The two shrugged in response as they were just as stunned as Minji was.

*

Gahyeon’s alarm rang loudly in her dorm but she had already been up for awhile now, all excited for her first class, therefore it did not take her long to turn the alarm off. Her roommate, Dahyun, had already left for her class but the two had breakfast together at the cafeteria that served various breakfast menu from 6.30am to lunch. Through breakfast, Gahyeon got to know her roommate a little bit. She found out that she lived way outside of the city and hence she needed to take a train. She was a cheerleader in high school and will be continuing in university and she majored in Psychology. Gahyeon went back to the dorm for a shower after that since there was still some time before her lesson started.

The bathroom in Gahyeon’s hall was a shared one. She would usually sing in the showers but was unable to do so that morning as there were quite a number of girls in there. She made a mental note to shower at unusual timings next time to avoid the crowd and some of the girls who were slightly more open. It would take some time for Gahyeon to get used to this new environment.

Gahyeon grabbed her backpack and gym bag and headed off to class, which was located in the engineering building, taking the route that she had figured out the previous night. She passed by a few students riding on bikes that had the university’s logo on it. She did not know that the campus had a bike rental service. She was definitely going to have to check it out after her classes ended. She had only two classes that day, both in the engineering building. But she would be headed to the gym after class and it was a long distance between the two places. A bike would for sure come in handy. 

Her first class was Linear Algebra I. It was held in the lecture hall and was filled with roughly seventy more students. Gahyeon enjoyed the lecture very much. The lecturer was a slightly older man, probably in his fifties and a funny person who tried to make the lesson as interesting as possible. Gahyeon found herself laughing a lot throughout the lecture with other students, cracking up at every joke the lecturer made. The second class, Programming Methodology however, was boring. Gahyeon was able to stay awake though there were times when she had to take one or two sour gummy bears to stop herself from falling asleep. It was not that the lesson itself was boring, but unlike the previous lecturer, the lecturer for this class had a monotone voice, the kind that seemed to hypnotize others into a deep sleep. Two hours felt like forever. Eventually, it ended and Gahyeon left the classroom feeling like she had not slept for days. But she had no more classes that day and the thought of playing volleyball for the rest of the day woke her up. She was able to find the bike rental shop after asking around. Turned out, there was more than one around the campus and one of them was near the engineering building, much to Gahyeon’s convenience. She was told by the shop owner that there was one near the new gyms and she could return her bike there.

Gahyeon was able to make it to the volleyball gym in under fifteen minutes, changing into her sports gear at a nearby bathroom. No one was there yet as Minji and Siyeon were still stuck in class but Minji had passed her the key to the gym the previous night before they departed. Therefore, Gahyeon was able to let herself in. The sun was shining brightly into the gym that day through the windows so Gahyeon had no need to turn on the lights. Placing her bags on the side, Gahyeon opened up the store and pushed out the cart of balls and net. It took her some figuring out and a few clicks on her phone but she managed to set up the net in the middle of the court. After that, she did her warm up routine before grabbing a volleyball and began practicing. Minji had sent her the list of things she will need to work on along with her notes and Gahyeon planned to target them one by one, starting with the first thing on the list, underhand serve. Though whether she were doing it right or not, she would have to wait for Minji or Siyeon. Gahyeon was impressed that Minji managed to come out with a list that highlighted Gahyeon’s bad habits as well as the ways she could improve on. Not to mention, Minji had handwritten it and it was detailed yet not messy at all. Though her photo taking skill could use some work. Gahyeon could make out the words through the slight blurriness but she had to squint her eyes. 

She was practicing her receives against a wall when Minji and Siyeon arrived.

“Try not to run with your arms together.” Siyeon said just as the ball came in contact with Gahyeon’s arm. The younger girl who had her focus on the ball the entire time was startled by the sudden voice behind her as she turned her head toward the two who had just entered the gym. Meanwhile, the ball hit the wall and bounced back, hitting Gahyeon in the head. The younger girl muttered an ouch while Minji and Siyeon tried not to laugh. Gahyeon ran to the ball to pick it up before running back to the two third years. Her mind reflected to her last receive. She sighed when she recalled that she did run while having her two arms together. It was one of the things on Minji’s notes and she was trying not to do that.

“Ok, we need a plan.” Minji said after plugging her phone into the only power point in the gym. The three girls were sitting in a triangle at a corner of the gym.

“What do you mean?” Gahyeon asked as she dribbled the ball she was holding onto, lightly.

“I meant Yubin and Yoohyeon.”

“I don’t know, Minji. I think they made it clear that they are not interested.” Siyeon said this time.

“I’m not saying we should hold them at gunpoint and force them to join us.” Minji tried to explain. “We have two of the best high school players walking around this university and it would be a crime if we don’t at least try recruiting them. I mean, some may say that it’s coincidental but it sure as hell looks like fate to me.”

Minji paused to look at Gahyeon and Siyeon, the latter opened her mouth a little like she had something to say but quickly decided against it. Sensing no objections, Minji continued.

“I think we should at least find out the reason behind them quitting volleyball. Maybe we could help them with it? If they are firm about quitting, then there is nothing we could do about it. But I don’t believe for a second that people who have trained to become best libero and best middle blocker would simply just quit? The amount of effort they must have put in!”

“But how?” Gahyeon asked.

“I don’t really know but Siyeon, maybe you could try asking Yubin?” Siyeon nodded in agreement. “I found out that Yoohyeon majors in literature and so most of her classes would be in the same building as mine. I will try to see if I could find an opportunity to talk to her.”

*

The next day, Siyeon was hanging out in the studio working on a project when Yubin walked in. The younger girl had thought the studio was not in use, so she was surprised to see it being occupied, especially that the person who was using it was Siyeon. Siyeon, on the other hand, had her headphones on and was too focused to realize that someone had entered the room. In fact, the music playing in her ears was loud enough to block out any outside sounds which was also why she jumped a few inches high in her seat when Yubin tapped on her shoulders lightly. Yubin, upon witnessing that, burst out laughing and did not stop for a couple minutes, leaving Siyeon speechless.

“I’m sorry.” Yubin apologized when she recovered. There were tears in her eyes and her stomach hurt from laughing too much. Siyeon was glaring at her the entire time. “I didn’t know there was anyone using the studio.”

“There’s a light on top of the door. If it is lit up, it means someone is using it.” Siyeon explained. Yubin nodded, still trying not to laugh. She knew that, but she was probably not paying attention when she entered the studio, having her focus on her phone the whole time.

“But you should have seen your face.” Yubin laughed and once again earned a glare from Siyeon.

“Well, now that you know it’s taken and has had your entertainment for the day, please leave so I can work.” Siyeon said as she put the headphones back on her ears.

“Awww, come on!” Yubin pouted. “Let me see you work!”

Siyeon looked at Yubin, contemplating if she should let the girl stay or chase her out as revenge. She nodded after a few seconds and Yubin whispered a ‘YES!’ before pulling up a chair in the studio and putting on the other headphones that was available. She watched quietly as Siyeon did her thing, taking notes on the things and techniques she could try for some of her own arrangements that would certainly improve them. Yubin did not recognize the song Siyeon was arranging but she found out later that it was an original titled Paradise. Siyeon did the composing, the lyrics and sang the entire song. Of course, she had help from her professors and lecturers, but she did most of the work and Yubin was beyond amazed. She hoped that by the end of her degree, she could be as good as her too.

When Siyeon got tired of working on her own project, she turned toward the younger girl, asking if the girl had anything she wanted to work on. Yubin immediately took out her thumb drive excitedly and plugged it into the computer. The two spent the rest of the afternoon reviewing some of Yubin’s work, Siyeon providing opinions and giving advice as well as tips to make her arrangements better. But Siyeon was kind of impressed by Yubin. Though she was only in her first year, her third day on campus, to be exact, and there were still many things she needed to learn and improve on, the girl’s works were pretty decent. If she did not know better, Siyeon would have assumed she was a second year.

“How did you even find the time to train volleyball and work on these?” Siyeon felt the need to ask when the two finally had time to relax. Siyeon would assume Yubin, as best libero, spent most, if not all of her time training.

“Well, I’ve always liked music so whenever I have the time, I would be working on it. Like after showers, or when I could not sleep. But most of these were done after the finals and since-“ Yubin paused for a short while before continuing, “Since I would not be continuing volleyball, I had all the time to work on music.”

“Can I ask why?” Siyeon asked, though she expected Yubin to not answer her question, preferring to avoid it. Much to her surprise, Yubin did not even stop to think for a second as she replied while twirling in her chair.

“Mostly because of my parents.” Yubin began, “They were never really supportive of me playing volleyball but there was nothing they could do back then. I mean I spent most of my time training but it was not like my academic results were poor. But now that I am approaching adulthood, they felt that volleyball would hinder with my future so they were even more against it. They would rather I use the time for my studies. To be honest, they did not like that I chose music production too but at least it comes with a degree. We had a lot of fights but eventually I gave in. Maybe they were right, there is no future in volleyball.”

“But do you miss it?” Siyeon asked, already knowing the answer to the question.

“Of course. Every minute of every day.”

*

Minji was exiting the school of education with her arms full of books and notes when she heard a  _ ding _ coming from her phone. Shifting all the weight onto her left arm, Minji took out her phone from her back pocket with her right. It was a message from Siyeon.

‘ _ Found out the reason. If you see Yoohyeon, I’m going to need you to get Yubin’s home address. _ ’

‘ _ What?! _ ’ Minji thought to herself. First of all, why would they need Yubin’s home address? That was some top stalker behaviour. What does Siyeon have in mind? Secondly, even though Yoohyeon had lessons in the same building as her, actually meeting her would still be difficult considering she did not know Yoohyeon’s schedule. She contemplated on camping there but that would be absurd and a waste of time. For one, the school is big and has multiple entry points. But even if by chance, she met Yoohyeon, who would ask someone whom she had only met, for her friend’s address. 

Minji was typing a reply back to Siyeon when she bumped into someone who was rushing into the building. The impact caused her to drop all her things. She let out a sharp  _ AHHH  _ before bending down to pick up her things. The other person doing the same.

“I’m so sorry! I was in a rush and wasn’t looking.” The girl who bumped into Minji said as she gathered Minji’s books and notes from the ground.

“It’s alright.” Minji replied while she picked up her phone, making sure it was not spoilt. She dusted her phone and saw that there were a few minor scratches here and there and her screen protector was pretty much cracked up to the point where it formed a pattern but otherwise, her phone itself seemed intact and still usable. She had her head down all this while and it was not until the girl passed her things to her that she looked up and saw that it was none other than Yoohyeon. Speak of the devil. It was beginning to ring how true this statement was.

“Oh my God, your screen!” Yoohyeon exclaimed when she saw the state Minji’s phone was in. There were no words to describe how apologetic she felt in that moment.

“That’s just the screen protector. No worries.” Minji reassured the pink-haired girl who sighed a breath of relief. 

“But still, I’m sorry. You will need to replace a screen protector now. But let me make it up to you over a cup of coffee or dinner or anything, maybe?” Yoohyeon asked.

“Umm… If you insist.” Minji replied, not wanting to give up the opportunity of a cup of free coffee.

“Great! I’m in a rush right now but here’s my number.” Yoohyeon said as she took out a pen and scribbled her number on one of Minji’s notes. “Text me! I’m free after 5 today! We can maybe grab something in the cafeteria unless you prefer to go out. I’m fine with anything!”

With that, Yoohyeon stood up and rushed into the building. Minji looked at the number on her notes, bewildered. Her mission from Siyeon might turn out to be easier than she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and feedback are appreciated! Thank you :)


	4. Chapter 4

It was a cooling evening and the university square was fairly quiet that day. There were a couple of students playing frisbee on the grass but they were not being particularly loud and a few others studying beneath a tree. Minji was sitting on a bench in the square, watching a game of volleyball on her phone while waiting for Yoohyeon. She had texted Yoohyeon shortly after receiving her number and after a short conversation via text message, the two decided to meet at the square after Yoohyeon’s lesson ended. She was halfway through the match when she saw someone running towards her from the corner of her eye. Looking up, she could see Yoohyeon waving at her, her pink hair flying with the wind as she ran. Minji waved back before turning off the screen of her phone and took out her earphones.

“Hey! There’s no need to run.” Minji said as soon as Yoohyeon reached her.

“I didn’t want you to wait for long.” Yoohyeon replied and perched herself beside Minji on the bench. Minji was holding onto her phone and Yoohyeon could see that her screen was no longer cracked up. “I see you have already changed a new screen protector. That’s fast.”

“Yeah, I feel weird if I don’t change it immediately.”

“Again, I’m so sorry!” Yoohyeon apologized again and Minji could see the guilt in the younger girl’s eyes.

“Really, it’s ok.” Minji smiled to reassure Yoohyeon. “I hope you like hotdogs though.”

“Hotdogs? Where?”

“Right here!” Minji replied. Yoohyeon had a look of confusion on her face. She looked around but there does not seem to be anywhere nearby that sells hotdogs. Minji giggled when she noticed Yoohyeon looking around like a lost puppy. She explained to Yoohyeon how in DCU, there are certain food carts that go around the campus with a fixed schedule. It was a schedule not published out but when one had hung around the university long enough, sooner or later they would learn when and on which day the food carts would be at, or at least the schedule of at least one or two of the food carts. For instance, besides the gym, Minji’s favourite place on campus is the square and therefore, she would sometimes hang out there either to study or to relax. The hotdog cart passed by there every Wednesday, Friday and Monday at around 5.30PM. Yoohyeon nodded and looked at the time on her phone, it said 5.25PM which meant that the hotdog cart would be reaching in approximately five minutes. 

Sure enough, after the two sat in silence for the next five minutes, Yoohyeon constantly looking around and checking the time, the food cart could be seen approaching the square being pushed by a young man. Yoohyeon gasped loudly when she saw the cart coming towards them and clapped, her eyes shining brightly. Minji, on the other hand, was amused by the younger girl. To be honest, she had expected the high school’s best middle block to have a slightly cold personality or at least a little stuck up. But Yoohyeon was the opposite from that. From the three short interactions she has had with the younger girl, Minji felt nothing else but genuineness. The kind of genuineness one gets from a kid, like there was not a single evil cell in her. Therefore, in that moment, Minji felt that even if they could not be teammates, she would want to be friends with Yoohyeon.

The minute the hotdog cart reached the two, Yoohyeon stood up and went over, Minji following closely behind. Yoohyeon got herself a classic hotdog bun with chili sauce while Minji got herself three, one with chili, the other with mustard, and the last one with both. Yoohyeon thought she was buying for somebody else but it turned out, all three were for Minji herself.

“Yeah, I eat a lot.” Minji had said with her mouth full. The two sat in silence on the bench, enjoying their hotdog buns. Suddenly, it hit Yoohyeon the reason she was there in the first place as she gulped down the last bite of her bun.

“Oh no! I meant to pay for your food but I got too excited that I forgot!” Yoohyeon exclaimed as she looked at Minji, eyes wide. The older girl was enjoying her second hotdog, not sure why the younger girl was being agitated. “How much was that? Or I could pay you back for the screen protector?” Yoohyeon was rummaging her bag for her wallet when Minji stopped her. 

“Like I said, it’s ok!”

“You sure?” Minji nodded her head and took another big bite. The two chatted for a bit while Minji finished up her food. Minji mentioned to Yoohyeon that she was getting a degree in education which was why the two had bumped into each other that morning. Yoohyeon, on the other hand, was getting a degree in literature. Of course, Minji knew that beforehand but she decided to keep it to herself, not wanting to seem creepy or anything. She learned that Yoohyeon wanted to pursue a career in journalism and that in her free time, she would spend it playing games on her computer. Their conversation continued for awhile when Yoohyeon noticed Minji’s gym bag sitting beside their bench, on the ground.

“Going for training later?” Yoohyeon asked and Minji nodded. The topic finally came up and all Minji could think about was how to ask Yoohyeon the reason she quit. Her brain was trying to form sentences when Yoohyeon spoke up again.

“I miss it. Volleyball, I mean.” Yoohyeon smiled as she looked up into the sky. It was starting to turn dark, but the clouds were still visible.

“Why did you quit?” Minji asked and Yoohyeon shrugged. 

“Was it because of Yubin?” Minji was beginning to put two and two together. Yoohyeon did not seem like the kind to just quit without reason and from the text message she had received from Siyeon earlier that day, it might have something to do with Yubin. If it really was what Minji thought, Yoohyeon might not feel like it was her place to tell the story. The younger girl stared at Minji with a shock look, like the truth had been revealed.

“How did you know?”

“I just guessed.” Minji could tell that Yoohyeon was thinking about something but the girl just nodded her head and looked back up to the sky again.

“It just doesn’t feel right to play without her.” Yoohyeon said. There was sadness in Yoohyeon’s eyes and being the way Minji was, she really wanted to erase that look from the younger girl’s face.

“To tell you the truth, Siyeon had spoken to Yubin earlier today.” Minji began and Yoohyeon sat up. She looked at Minji with a look of betrayal, like the girl only had hotdogs with her just to pry in her and Yubin’s business. Sensing that, Minji quickly continued.

“We just wanted to help, nothing more. Of course, partly because we needed members and the two of you would be a great addition to the team, but we would never manipulate or force anyone to join. We just thought that if we could find out the reason, then maybe we could help.” Minji explained, she waited to see if Yoohyeon had anything to say or maybe slap her and go but detecting no reaction from the younger girl, Minji figured this would be a good place to complete her mission.

“Look, Siyeon has a plan. All we need is Yubin’s home address.”

“What? Why would I give you Yubin’s home address? If Siyeon talked to Yubin, why not just ask her to get it herself? I have only met you what, three times? And this is the first conversation we have ever had, and you expected me to give you my best friend’s address? Did you realize how ridiculous that sounded?” Yoohyeon was agitated which made Minji panic a little but there was no turning back now.

“I know, I know. But Siyeon must have her reasons to not ask Yubin for it. But I swear we are not bad people! If we fail at whatever Siyeon had in mind, then you and Yubin can be as mad at us as the two of you want. I swear we will never appear in front of the two of you ever again and we will turn tail if we see either one of you. It will be like we never existed. So please, let us help.” Yoohyeon looked at Minji with doubts in her eyes, like the person in front of her was the craziest person she had ever met. But she was a little swayed, just a little. Ok, maybe a lot. She really missed the sport and she knew Yubin does too and if there was even a tiny chance that they could play again, there was no way in hell she was going to miss it. She just hoped that Minji and Siyeon were not secretly serial killers or something equally terrifying as she took out a pen. Seeing that, Minji immediately opened her bag and took out a rough paper for Yoohyeon to write on.

“Like Yubin would ever ignore Siyeon.” Yoohyeon said as she wrote on the piece of paper that Minji had given her. She passed it back to Minji after writing down Yubin’s address and upon taking it, Minji had the biggest grin on her face, like she had won the lottery.

“Yubin is going to be so mad at me but I swear to God, if the two of you robbed her family or whatever, I will hunt both of you down to the ends of the Earth.” Yoohyeon tried to sound intimidating, she really did. But though it did not come out the way Yoohyeon had intended it to, Minji could tell she was being serious but then again, it was not like they were planning to do something bad. At least, she hoped not. She had no idea what Siyeon had in mind.

*

Yubin’s hometown was far from DCU. It would take at least half a day just to go over if they were to take public transport which was how Minji and Siyeon found themselves going on a 2-hour road trip with Minji driving. It was a Saturday morning, the two having departed from DCU at 9AM. Siyeon wanted to sleep a little more but Minji’s reasoning was that the earlier they finished, the sooner they could get back to DCU to train. Music was playing in the car as Siyeon slept not 5 minutes after she got in while Minji was singing softly to the song, both not nervous at all about meeting Yubin’s family. The confidence they had was admirable to others sometimes.

Siyeon had told Minji what she had in mind beforehand and it sounded fairly simple. The plan was to simply get into Yubin’s home, persuade her parents to let her play volleyball and have lunch at Yubin’s hometown. But of course, it was easier said than done. For one, both girls had no idea what to say to Yubin’s parents. They had no idea what they were like. Do they go in aggressively or do they try a soft approach? The conclusion was just to wing it. They did, however, prepare a few points to back up the things they have to say. Siyeon had not told Yubin about it nor asked for her permission because from the conversation she had with Yubin, she felt that the girl had already given up in talking with her parents and if she was there, there would be a higher chance of it ending in a fight and someone, Siyeon and Minji, getting stomped at before Yubin stomped out of the house herself. Also, if she were to ask permission from Yubin, the younger girl would probably say no and Siyeon thought that she would not get denied if she did not ask in the first place, which made sense to Minji. Minji, on the other hand, had asked Yoohyeon to come with her but the pink-haired girl did not want to get involved mainly because she was scared of Yubin’s parents.

A little over two hours later, they pulled up into the parking lot near the building where Yubin’s home was. Minji turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. She looked towards the passenger seat and saw that Siyeon was still out like a light with her head facing Minji. She was drooling a little too and Minji could not help but giggle at the sight of that. She tapped Siyeon lightly on her shoulders to try to wake her up.

“It wasn’t me!” Siyeon jumped before slowly opening her eyes and Minji laughed, wondering what her friend had dreamt about. She sat upright and saw that they had stopped and were in the parking lot. She took a sip of water and popped a mint into her mouth before unbuckling her seatbelt and got out of the car. Minji, who was still laughing, got out of the car too and together, the two made their way to Yubin’s home. They got into the elevator and Minji checked the piece of paper with Yubin’s address on it before pushing the button to the right floor.

_ Ding _ ! The door to the elevator opened and Minji and Siyeon stepped out. Minji checked the piece of paper again for the unit number and the two made their way over. Without even a moment of hesitation, Minji pressed the doorbell. Footsteps could be heard approaching the door as Minji and Siyeon waited. The door opened, revealing the person behind it. In an instant, all three of them had a look of horror on their face.

“Siyeon? Minji? What are the two of you doing here?”

“Yubin?!” Siyeon and Minji said at the same time. Oops, they definitely did not see that coming.

*

Before Minji and Siyeon left for Yubin’s place, Minji had given Gahyeon the key so that she could train by herself which was what she did until Yoohyeon turned up in her sports gear and Gahyeon had not been expecting anyone else. Seeing the surprised look on Gahyeon’s face, Yoohyeon explained to her that Minji had told her about their training in the gym so she thought she would go over to have a look and maybe play a little. She asked Gahyeon what she was working on for the day and the shorter girl took out the notes from Minji and showed it to Yoohyeon.

“I can definitely help you out with a few of these.” Yoohyeon had said and the two began training, Yoohyeon mostly tried to correct Gahyeon’s form. They worked on a lot of things that day. First, they did passes, Yoohyeon had purposely made it a little harder for Gahyeon, having her to move around a little more. Like what Minji had written, Gahyeon tends to run with her arms together and how she jumped a little when she received the ball. Habits are hard to break but Yoohyeon could tell that Gahyeon was trying not to do those things.

“You also want to think of me as the setter and to try to pass the ball to my position or as close as possible to my position instead of having the setter run to the ball.” Yoohyeon advised and Gahyeon nodded.

Next, Yoohyeon stood on a chair on the opposite side of the net and spiked the ball down for Gahyeon to receive. They did it a few times with the ball hitting Gahyeon a couple times on various parts of her body, not just her arms. Yoohyeon agreed with Minji’s notes that the shorter girl needed to work on her stamina and reflex and the answer to those was just more training.

What Yoohyeon was most impressed about was Gahyeon’s jump. Minji had written that in her notes too, about Gahyeon’s jump height but even so, it was still impressive to see it up close. She was able to get her hands above the net.

“With more training, you could be a middle blocker too!” Yoohyeon had said and Gahyeon, upon hearing that from not just any middle blocker, but the best high school middle blocker, smiled widely. “You just need to be able to get your hands over the net without touching it.”

After Yoohyeon showed Gahyeon a few exercises she could do to increase her vertical jump, the two sat down on the floor to rest for awhile. 

“Thank you for your help.” Gahyeon said after drinking a few gulps of water.

“It’s nothing. If you ever needed help, feel free to ask me.” Hearing that, Gahyeon beamed. Her day turned out to be better than she had expected, and it was only morning.

“Where’s Yubin, by the way?” Gahyeon asked.

“Oh, she went home yesterday and would only be back tomorrow. She forgot one of her plushies, can you believe that? It was the most important one too, she could not sleep without it.” Yoohyeon laughed.

“Wait… Minji and Siyeon are headed over to Yubin’s today.” Gahyeon said.

“That’s what I heard from Minji too, yeah.” Yoohyeon replied. Gahyeon kept staring at Yoohyeon and Yoohyeon stared back, clearly not realizing what the problem was. A few seconds passed before Yoohyeon figured out what Gahyeon was trying to say and her eyes widened at that as she gasped.

*

“Yubin! You’re here!” Minji said, trying to sound cheerful but really, it came out guilty. The younger girl was beyond confused as to why the two third years were standing on her doorstep.

“Who is it?” A woman whose face was the exact replica of Yubin but with longer hair and looked slightly older appeared from behind Yubin.

“These are my umm… my seniors from DCU, Minji and Siyeon.” Yubin introduced. “Minji, Siyeon, this is my mom.”

“Hi!” Minji said and waved at Yubin’s mother. Siyeon gave an awkward smile but remained silent, still shocked to see Yubin home.

“Come on in! Are you here to pick Yubin back to campus?” Her tone was friendly as she invited the duo in and led them to the living room. “Have a seat and I will be right back with drinks.”

Minji thanked Yubin’s mother before the two of them sat on the large couch in the living room, Yubin opting to sit on the chair beside them.

“What are the two of you doing here?” Yubin whispered so that her mother could not hear their conversation.

“We thought we would try to persuade your parents to let you be in the team.” Minji whispered back.

“What?! No- “ Before Yubin could continue, her mother came back with two cups of tea.

“Yubin, I thought you said you would be returning tomorrow?” Yubin’s mother said as she placed the two cups of tea on the coffee table in front of Minji and Siyeon.

“Umm yeah, they’re leaving. They got the dates wrong.” Yubin said frantically as she tried to get Minji and Siyeon to stand up and leave.

“Don’t be rude, Yubin. At least let them finish their tea. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” Yubin’s mother smiled at the two and began to walk away.

“Wait, no!” Siyeon suddenly exclaimed. “Actually, we came to talk to you and Mr Lee.”

Confused, Yubin’s mother took a seat at the smaller couch opposite Yubin and the youngest girl in the room began to panic. She did not know what to do so she just sat there, preparing to intervene if things went wrong.

“Yubin’s father is not home at the moment but what is this regarding?”

“I am the captain of DCU’s Volleyball Club We would like to get you and Mr Lee’s permission for Yubin to join our team.” Minji began. The smile on Yubin’s mother faded into a frown as she looked at the two of them with anger in her eyes.

“Yubin, is this your doing? Getting your seniors to come and persuade us? You promised you would quit volleyball!” Yubin’s mother said angrily.

“What? Of course not! I had no idea they would be here!” Yubin retorted at the insinuation, mimicking the tone of her mother’s. 

“Yubin had nothing to do with this. We had no idea she would be home just like how she had no idea we would come here unannounced which we are very sorry for, by the way.” Siyeon explained. “But please, hear us out.” Yubin and her mother remained silent, signalling for the two guests to continue.

“Our volleyball team is not a complete one. We are looking for members so that hopefully, we will be able to compete this year.” Minji began. “We have been to one of your daughter’s competitions and she was beyond incredible. I have never seen a libero her age as good as her and she would be a great addition to the team. From the short conversation Siyeon has had with Yubin, your daughter loves volleyball and misses the sport a lot! University is supposed to be a place where you work hard not only in your studies but to have a final moment of fun and freedom before you step into society. Don’t you want the final stage of your daughter’s young adulthood to be a fun and memorable one instead of just constantly focusing on schoolwork and projects all the time?”

A tear rolled down Yubin’s face which she was quick to wipe away. It went unnoticed by the two who were not facing her but not Yubin’s mother. Seeing that, her heart softened. Like most parents, all she wanted was for her daughter to be happy but also, they know how hard it is to live in a place where your future is tough if your academic results were not good enough.

“We just did not want it to hinder her studies. We have seen how hard volleyball training is. Yubin used to spend hours on it, sometimes she would not come home until after midnight and she was so tired when she came back. University is so much harder than high school, we are afraid if she continued, she would neglect her studies and we would rather she focused her energy on her degree than do something that does not have a future.”

“I don’t know about the future, Mrs Lee. Nor do I know if Yubin would want to be a volleyball player in the future. If she does, it will be tough, competition will be hard and there are players who retired before even having a chance to play. If not, she could always play after she graduated but at the end of the day, when people asked what she did in university, the only answer she could give was study and doing projects? Companies nowadays look at extracurricular just as much as academics.” Minji paused, not sure what to say next. Sensing that, Siyeon continued for her.

“And when it comes to academics, it’s all about time management. I am in the same major as Yubin and in my final year, but I dared say that my work is one of the best in my class. Just ask Yubin. And Minji here spends more time than anyone in training but she still aces her classes. Therefore, it all comes down to good time management. Like you, we believe that studies are just as important and we will be there with Yubin every step of the way, making sure she does not neglect her grades. Whenever she needs help with her classes, I will definitely offer my help too. So please, let Yubin do the thing she loves. Let her play.”

Yubin’s mom thought for a moment, letting the words of Minji and Siyeon sink in. She looked at Yubin, who was silently praying with her eyes. Sighing, she said the word that Yubin was dying to hear.

“Alright.” Yubin smiled widely at that before running over to hug her mother who returned the same smile seeing how happy her daughter was. “But the moment your grades falter, you’re stopping.”

“Yes, yes! I will not let it! Thank you!”

Minji and Siyeon sat there watching the mother daughter embrace. Minji gave a thumbs up to Siyeon who breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her previously stiffened body on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Comments and feedback are appreciated! Thank you :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile but here's chapter 5!

Yubin entered the volleyball gym for the first time ever, her gym bag hanging over her shoulders. She took a second to look around the surroundings while Yoohyeon already ran over to Gahyeon who was warming up at a corner. Ever since the day they practiced together, the two had become fast friends. Minji was planting something outside the gym and Siyeon was setting up the net. Yubin walked over to Yoohyeon and Gahyeon and dropped her gym bag on the floor before joining the two in their warm up.

“This place really is a shithole compared to the other two gyms.” Yubin said while stretching her thighs, leaning sideways as her head almost touched her knee. She did that for a few seconds before switching over to the other leg and repeating the same motion.

“At least we don’t have to share with others.” Minji came in with what seemed like soil on her chin. At least that was what the three hoped it was and not fertilizer or something even gross. “And therefore, we have the entire gym to ourselves, 24/7 for 365 days. And there’s still electricity!”

“But most of the bulbs are not even working. How do you even train at night?” Yubin complained.

“Hey! I am working as hard as I can changing those lightbulbs. They are so high! It takes forever to fix just one! Be glad there is at least one working. Plus, training in the dark improves your instincts. Stop complaining about my gym!” Minji exclaimed before wiping the soil off her chin and removed the white gloves from her hands.

Training began soon after Siyeon fixed up the net. They started with a couple more warm up exercises and a few laps around the court before going into the basics. Yoohyeon and Yubin were a little rusty, having not been training for months but it would not take long for them to get back on track. Gahyeon was slowly improving and her bad habits were almost gone though every now and then they would still reappear. Minji had taken the time to observe Yoohyeon and Yubin too. As expected from the two, though rusty, they were still solid. Yubin’s receives were almost always on point, most of the time returning the ball to the setter position – the space near the net – perfectly. On the other hand, the spiking training showcased Yoohyeon’s skills. She had speed, height along with almost perfect timing. The girls took turns spiking the ball with Yubin as their temporary setter and Yoohyeon blocking from the other side of the net. Yoohyeon would read where the ball was going before running over and jumping up, most of the time, her blocks smashed the ball down but there were times when she would switch to soft blocking or try to trick or corner the hitters. In addition to her blocks, Yoohyeon’s spikes were no joke either. Seeing them up close, the three girls were once again impressed by Yoohyeon and Yubin’s skills.

But the third years could give Yoohyeon and Yubin a run for their money as well. They had two more years of experience not to mention, Minji’s relentless training. If Yoohyeon and Yubin were to be honest, they were not expecting them to be that good. But then again, they judged it based on their reputation, history as well as the state of the gym. But Yubin felt that Minji’s receives were as good as hers and when in a match where Yubin would constantly be subbed in and out, it would be good to have someone else who was as good at receiving as it would greatly strengthen their defense. Yoohyeon, on the other hand, was surprised by Siyeon’s attacking strength. When she tried to receive or block Siyeon’s spikes, she could feel the impact like her hands and arms could break any second. Siyeon had mentioned that she had been skipping training for a bit here and there so she could not imagine what it would be like if Siyeon had been serious for the past two years.

With the addition of Yoohyeon and Yubin, and Siyeon’s promise to Yubin’s mother, Siyeon had decided to be more serious in going to training. Though it would mean that she would have less time to sleep and shorter time to do everything else, but it was nothing she had not managed before.

Time flew by in an instant and before they knew it, training had ended. It was 8PM and the girls were famished as they made their way out of the gym. Minji and Siyeon were used to it but to the three younger girls, even Gahyeon who had stayed late for a few days now, found the area kind of eerie. The sound of crickets chirping could be heard and what sounded like owls hooting or it could be wolves howling, at least that was what Yoohyeon’s fear was telling her. Gahyeon’s fear was telling her that there might be ghosts roaming around while Yubin just really hated the dark and their surroundings did not make it any better. The three stuck together, holding on to each other as they quickened their pace, desperate to get out of the place and to somewhere, anywhere, with decent lighting and no weird sounds. At one point, Yoohyeon had seen what she claimed to be yellow eyes looking at them from the dark and screamed, causing the other two to scream too and together, they ran away as fast as they could. Minji and Siyeon strolled behind them, laughing. It turned out to just be the regular stray cat that liked to hang out around there.

The five reached a sandwich place located inside the atrium, which was the only place they could eat on campus that was still opened at this time of the night. They each ordered their sandwich, Minji again ordering a bigger portion than the others, and settled down on one of the available tables. Besides them, there were other students eating too, most of whom were like them, having just ended their training or other extracurricular activities they were doing. Once their orders reached, the girls began indulging them like they had not eaten for days.

“So, what’s the plan next?” Yubin asked without looking away from her egg mayo sandwich. The rest of the girls looked up at Yubin for a few seconds, having no idea what she was talking about, before going back to eating their sandwiches. They remained in that state for a few minutes and finally one of them could not stand the silence anymore, the main reason being that nobody answered her question.

“We still need at least two more players. What are we going to do about that?” Yubin said after she swallowed the last bite of her sandwich. Minji looked up at her like she had something to say but her mouth was too full to even open. She held up a finger for the girls to wait a second while she chewed hastily and swallowed.

“I have a person in mind.” Minji said and looked at Siyeon, the black-haired girl instantly knowing who Minji was talking about. “But I am not sure if she would be willing to come back or not.” The three younger girls could tell that Minji and Siyeon were sad when Minji mentioned the person she wanted back.

“Is it KBR?” Gahyeon asked. Minji and Siyeon’s head snapped towards her, not sure how she knew those initials. They have never mentioned that person before. Gahyeon did not know why but there was a sudden guilt creeping into her heart, like she had stumbled upon something she should not have. “I-uh, I found a pair of knee pads in the store with those initials on it.”

‘ _ Oh _ .’ Minji and Siyeon nodded. They had forgotten about the kneepads that were left in the store.

“Well, she joined the team with the two of us but unlike us, she made the starting line-up. She is a really powerful left-wing spiker, but she lets her pride get to her sometimes. She is also a little bit of a trouble, having gotten herself suspended from competitions before competition even started. I have said before that our first match was also our last that year and everything sort of went downhill afterwards. I think she blamed herself and thought that maybe if she got to play, we might have won. The guilt got to her and she left the team, leaving just the two of us.” Minji explained. “We have never blamed her, but she stopped taking our calls and after a few more tries, we just stopped contacting her too.”

There was regret in both Minji and Siyeon’s eyes as Siyeon took one of Minji’s hands into her own and gave it a little squeeze. The times they had together were short but the three of them, being the only freshmen that year, had become good friends with one another. There were numerous times when Minji and Siyeon would mentally beat themselves up for not trying harder and letting their friend go. They had thought it was too late to get her back but maybe that was not the case after all. They definitely wanted her back in their lives even if it was not for volleyball.

“Why did she get suspended?” Yoohyeon asked.

“Umm… she uh… She beat someone up.” Minji answered but Siyeon was quick to interject.

“But just a punch in the face. A rather hard punch but just a punch. And if you ask me, the person had it coming. I mean yeah, she did it in the square when there were a lot of people around and the guy’s nose broke. There was blood everywhere and I think his nose was never the same-” There were looks of horror on Yoohyeon and Gahyeon’s faces and Minji had to stop Siyeon from continuing before she scared the girls away.

“She’s a nice person. Really.” Minji smiled which creeped the younger girls even more as their faces turned pale.

*

The cheering of the crowd surrounding the chained basketball court located underground in the more rundown section of the city, echoed loudly. The players on the court, however, were not playing basketball but rather, a 3-on-3 volleyball game was ongoing in the court that was too big for even a regular volleyball game. The six players on both sides of the court were sweating profusely while the scoreboard which was really just the concrete wall with the scores marked with a stone, showed that they were currently at their fifth set, scores 14 to 12, with team Sua taking the game point. Neither side of the court was backing down though, as their speed and strength remained constant as if the match had only just started five minutes ago.

A loud smack rang loudly as one player on team Sua received a serve. The ball flew towards the team’s setter as he did an overhand toss to who was probably the shortest person on court, maybe even the shortest in the entire area. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a low ponytail and though her appearance was small, or tiny, as Minji and Siyeon would say, her skills were not, as she ran and flew up into the sky, smashing the ball down in just a matter of seconds. The ball landed at an empty space on the opposite side of the court, their opponents and most of the crowd were having a hard time grasping what just happened. She was on a roll that day. The crowd roared loudly as the game ended. One of the dudes started walking around the court as some of the people there threw money begrudgingly into his cap. The losing team stared at team Sua with anger in their eyes, clearly unhappy with the results before grabbing their things and left the court.

“Here you go, Sua.” The dude who was collecting money said as she approached the MVP of the game and gave her a stack of money. “Your share of the bets.”

“Thanks, E.” Sua replied and E smiled back before walking away. Sua counted the money and slipped them into her pockets. She removed her hair tie and swayed her head left and right like a goddess in a hair commercial, letting her long blonde hair scatter around her shoulders. She put on her leather jacket, picked up her things and was about to leave but was stopped by two girls, one had red hair and was smiling brightly while waving at her while the other had black hair and was looking away.

“Sua? Is that your street name?” Minji asked.

“What are the two of you doing here?” Sua ignored Minji’s question and glared at the two. She was trying to look intimidating and unwelcoming but Minji could see the guilt behind those eyes and felt sad that she was still blaming herself though she was able to mask the sadness with a smile. Siyeon, on the other hand, was not looking at Sua at all. Part of her was angry at the girl for choosing to run away as a solution to her guilt, part of her was angry at herself for not trying harder to convince the shorter girl to stay but for the most part, she just felt awkward and did not know what to say.

“Come back.” Minji said, jumping straight to the point. “Come back to the volleyball team. We need you.”

“No.” Sua replied and turned to leave but was pulled back by Minji tugging on her wrist.

“Let go.” Sua said firmly, staring into Minji’s eyes. She wanted to look away but she did not and she kept it there, hoping Minji would get the message and let her go.

“We’ve got three new members this year and they’re all pretty good! We could actually compete this year! So please, come back.” Sua could see Minji pleading with her eyes. It was the same pair of eyes she had seen lots of times before. Those eyes that were hard to resist. She could not say no to them when Minji asked her to buy ice cream nor when Minji asked her to stay a few more hours to help with her training. But she said no to them when she left. She said no to them whenever Minji pleaded for her to go back and it always took a lot of willpower to reject them. And then, she never saw those eyes again, until now. Her eyes began to waver and she shook Minji’s hand off with force and walked away hastily, leaving the two standing there defeated once again.

Sua took the road she takes everyday back to DCU. It was a longer road, a detour but it gave her time to herself. She got to a long bridge where a few people would set up their street stalls, most of them illegally, selling things like t-shirts, accessories, counterfeit branded things that looked like the real ones and many more. Sua would often take her time exploring those stalls, browsing the various items and would buy them if anything caught her eye. But her favourite part of the bridge was the granny selling vegetables and snacks on the floor. 

When Sua first left the volleyball team, she ran away aimlessly and somehow ended up at the bridge. Amongst the people was the granny, otherwise known as Granny Han to Sua, on the floor, happily selling her food items. Her clothes were ragged and vegetables and snacks like potato chips were displayed on laid out newspapers that were placed on the ground, in what looked like a DIY gazebo tent. Though Sua had on her branded sports shoes and hanging over her shoulders was her branded gym bag, Granny Han offered a bag of chips for free because she seemed sad. From that day onwards, the student would make sure to stay with her for a few hours, helping her with her business and in a blink of an eye, it had been almost a year since she met Granny Han. Business was not exactly great on most days but according to the granny, it was more than enough to support her and her granddaughter though Sua had never met her granddaughter before, only knowing her through the stories Granny Han would tell and the photos she had seen. Sua had tried giving money to Granny Han but she would reject the offer, preferring the younger girl keep it for her own usage. Hence, Sua would sneakily slip a couple notes, just a few so that she would not notice, into the fanny pack that Granny Han kept her earnings for the day. Therefore, on that day, Sua sat down next to Granny Han and as usual slipped a few notes while Granny Han was not looking, as the two called for customers.

“What’s wrong, Bora?” Granny Han had asked. She was probably the only one that knew Sua’s real name in that area of the city, the only one Bora had told. “You look less lively today.” Granny Han could always notice whenever there was something wrong with Bora, like she was her own granddaughter. Bora came from a rich family though they were more often than not, too busy to care about her and she was used to it but she did not enjoy being at home. Many people would envy her and being from a rich family does have its perks, such as being able to pay off the dude’s family that she had punched. She did not know about other rich families, nor does she care, but in hers, they cared more about money than their own daughter. They would pay for the things she wanted, her tuition fees but that was about it. Never once had they asked about the wellbeing of Bora. They tried to groom her into a high society woman like them, but Bora does not allow anyone but herself to dictate her own life. To them, Bora was probably a failure. Therefore, the student probably loves Granny Han, the person she had only known for a year, than her own family, the people she had known her entire life.

“Just met the two friends I told you about before.” Bora would tell Granny Han more things than she ever would to her parents too. “They wanted me to go back to the team.”

“What’s keeping you?” Granny Han asked.

“I’ve told you before. I can’t.” Bora said with her eyes down. “I chose to run away. How can I face them after that? It’s too late.”

“You’ll be surprised how far apologies can go. It’s never too late.” Granny Han placed a wrinkled but warm hand on Bora’s lap and gave it a few firm pats. “They clearly still care about you.”

Bora looked at Granny Han, not sure what to say. She missed Minji and Siyeon. Memories of them training and hanging out together floated back into Bora’s mind. Back then, the three would hang out almost all the time but because of her pride and guilt, she ran away and left them at a time they needed her the most. She knew they were still trying to get the club back but she could not find the courage to return. She did not blame them when they stopped contacting her too. She gave Granny Han a sad smile before continuing calling out for customers. Suddenly, she noticed the three thugs she had defeated earlier on, approaching the bridge with bats in hand. She was pretty sure they were looking for her, it was not the first time she had won sore losers. She told Granny Han that she had something urgent she needed to do and hurriedly tried to get out of there. But the moment she stood up, she heard one of them called her loudly.  _ SUA!  _ Upon hearing her street name, she looked towards them and made eye contact with three fierce looking thugs. Sensing the danger, she bid Granny Han a goodbye and immediately ran as fast as she could with the three chasing behind her.

She ran a few miles into a narrow alley and only stopped when she thought the coast was clear. She bent down to pant, trying to catch her breath. She removed her black leather jacket as the white tee underneath was almost completely soaked and she could feel her black sweatpants absorbing the sweat emitted from her legs. She was about to walk away after she recovered her breath when she heard footsteps coming from behind. Sure enough, two of the thugs appeared from behind her. She tried to run away but was unable to when the last of them emerged from in front of her. She was trying to avoid a fight but looked like it had come down to that.

“3 against 1 and with a lady. You call yourselves men?” Bora smiled mockingly.

“We lost a lot of money because of you.” One of the thugs that had red spiky hair said. He smirked and batted his bat a few times on his palm, trying to show dominance.

“It’s not my fault that you guys sucked.” Bora taunted and the smirk on red spiky hair turned into an angry frown in an instant. He ordered the guy next to him, blue spiky hair to attack Bora and he charged toward the girl, ready to swing his bat but Bora was ready. She did a quick scan of her surroundings and ducked just as the bat swung towards her, narrowly missing her head. In just one turn, she was able to grab a long, rectangular wooden stick near her position and swung it at blue spiky hair. It hit him hard on the face as he stumbled backwards and fell. Red spiky hair and the last thug, green spiky hair charged towards Bora from both sides at the same time. Bora threw her black leather jacket at green spiky hair. She successfully slowed him down and she could hear a soft clink from one of the metal buttons on the jacket hitting green spiky hair’s forehead. She took a swing at red spiky hair but he managed to dodge it while swinging his bat. It hit Bora on the right side of her waist and she winced a little, stumbling to the side. Green spiky hair threw Bora’s leather jacket on the floor just as blue spiky hair got up from the ground and in an instant, there were three spiky hairs charging towards her. She managed to block one of the bats with her right arm and kick red spiky hair in the stomach but was unable to avoid the punch that landed on her face from the left. 

Blue and green spiky hairs tried giving another blow but just as they were about to, two rocks came flying towards their direction, hitting both in the back of the head. They immediately grabbed their head. It seemed like the rocks hit them pretty hard as they wobbled a little, like they were losing balance. 

It was then, while the thugs were trying to regain their composure that the two masked persons with caps and sunglasses each grabbed one of Bora’s arms and pulled her away as they ran from the scene. It was a sense of touch that she was all too familiar with and while running, she could see the red and black hair flying out from their caps. She could not help but smile at the two taller figures pulling her as she ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that updates are taking so long and I thanked those who waited (if there's any XD)
> 
> I'm sorry to say that updates are going to take pretty long but I am still as determined to finish this au!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you and sorry to those who have waited for an update!

Somehow along the way while they were running away, Bora took the lead and led the two into yet another bridge but instead of crossing it, Bora chose to go down a large patch of grass and the two followed. There was a river flowing under the bridge, but it was not deep and rocks and pebbles could be seen. Bora pulled them into the dry area where it was surrounded by a few short walls, most of which had been graffitied, making it a safe place to hide. The sound of the water swishing past the rocks could be heard with the wind blowing through the place. It was peaceful, and it was Bora’s hideout. 

The three sat down, leaning their backs against one of the walls. Minji and Siyeon removed their disguises, their heads were entirely drenched as drops of salty sweat ran down their faces. Minji smiled and lifted a fist up for Siyeon to bump which she did. Both of them looked proud of themselves as it was the first time any of them had run into that kind of situation and they could not believe they managed to get away. It was scary but thrilling at the same time.

“Thank you.” Bora said between breaths. Minji and Siyeon both shook their hands at Bora, trying to say,  _ ‘it’s nothing’ _ but they were still panting. A smile crept onto Bora’s face as she looked at the two with their heads down, trying to gasp for air. It was nice to know that even after so long, they still had her back and for a few seconds, it was nice to pretend like nothing happened, like she had not left.

“What were the two of you doing there?” Bora asked when her lungs stopped feeling like they would explode any minute. She could not say the same about the two as they looked like they could faint any time now. Their faces were pale like blood had been drained out from them but then again, they did run with their heads entirely covered which made it even harder to breathe.

“We were looking for you.” Minji answered and her voice sounded husky. “After you left, we went searching for you but because we were not familiar with the place, we kind of got lost. Then we saw you being chased by the 3 guys we recognized from the basketball court with bats, so we chased after too. But we lost the 4 of you and it took a little looking around before we found you being cornered in the alley. I wanted to charge in immediately but Siyeon said they would recognize our faces, so we wrapped ourselves up. We found those stones lying around and I have to say, our aims are pretty accurate. It only took us one shot!”

After her breath recovered, Minji stood up to admire the various graffiti on the walls. She could tell almost immediately that they were all Bora’s works. The shorter girl majored in art after all and would always show Minji and Siyeon her paintings. Though they were different from graffiti, Minji could still recognize her style. There were a few chalks and spray cans lying around the area and Minji picked one up. She was disappointed that it was empty, she wanted to spray some on a wall that had not been sprayed on. Then she realized that beneath her feet, covering almost half the entire dry land under the bridge was an incomplete graffiti.

“Is this us?” Minji asked excitedly when she realized that Bora was trying to paint a rabbit, a wolf and a tiny bird in a volleyball court. Though only the rabbit was completed, the other animals were still pencil drawings and the background could barely be made out. Bora looked up and was surprised that Minji recognized it but quickly avoided eye contact when Minji turned her head towards her.

“I thought you two went home after I left. Again.” Bora spoke up after awhile, her eyes not leaving her laps. She dared not look at the two in the eyes as she felt the guilt once again creeping into her heart and mind.

“We’re not going to make the same mistake we made back then.” Siyeon replied, presenting the same attitude she had when they approached Bora at the basketball court. Bora had no idea what she was talking about, what mistake? She was the one who did something wrong, not Siyeon or Minji. Had they been blaming themselves for her departure?

“We’re sorry for leaving you alone. For not going after you harder.” Minji apologized and it confirmed the thought in Bora’s head. They really blamed themselves. She lifted her head and saw that Minji had been looking at her. The tears in Minji’s eyes triggered her own and she looked toward Siyeon who too had eyes that were sparkling from the tears that threatened to fall. Sorry. She should be the one to apologize, not them. Granny Han’s words kept ringing in her head, ‘ _ You’ll be surprised how far apologies can go. It’s never too late. _ ’ Perhaps, Granny Han was right after all.

“I’m sorry I left when things were hard. I blamed myself and I thought I do not deserve to be in the same team as the two of you. I thought we could have won and went further if I had not got myself suspended. I thought it was my fault that our club went downhill and instead of thinking of ways to make it better, I let my pride swallow me into a ball of guilt and chose to run away. The two of you needed me and I left. I’m sorry.” A tear rolled down Bora’s cheeks which she was quick to wipe away. Siyeon, who had been avoiding eye contact with Bora, slowly turned her head at her, not sure what to say. Minji placed a hand on Bora’s lap, offering her a reassuring smile. A smile that said that they had never blamed her before.

“We’ll forgive you if you come back to the team.” Siyeon said slyly. She could no longer feel the anger she had on both Bora and herself, and it was replaced by the warm feelings that reminded her of old times. She smiled at Bora for the first time in a long time and the shorter girl nodded her head, letting the tears flow down her cheeks with no intention of wiping them away as Minji pulled her and Siyeon into a group hug.

*

“Can you clear table 4 for me, Dongie?” One of the waitresses who was wiping a table said to the girl with shoulder length black hair.

“No problem!” Dongie replied after serving a customer her smoothie. Instead of heading back to the counter, she walked towards table four and collected the plates with leftover fries and bones before wiping it. After she was done, she brought the plates into the kitchen and placed them in the sink, just in time for her shift to end. She thanked the dishwasher on duty that day and headed into the back room to change out of her uniform. Dongie stared at her name tag for awhile, her name ‘Han Dong’ carved neatly on it and sighed. It had been a tiring day, then again, working at the diner was always hard, having to serve and clean from table to table and handling rude customers. She had been working there for a year now and though she hated it, she loved her colleagues. They were always friendly and fun to work with which made her job a little easier, not to mention the free lunch she would get whenever she was on duty. Handong hung up her uniform, got her things and clocked out. She said goodbye to her fellow colleagues before exiting Uncle Burger’s Diner. She walked over to unlock her bike which was parked right outside Uncle Burger’s and pedalled to her second part time job of the day.

Handong has several part time jobs that differed from day to day but every day was pretty much the same. On some days, when she does not have morning classes, Handong would wake up extremely early to deliver newspapers from building to building on her bike. She would then have breakfast and shower in DCU before she headed for her classes. After her last class of the day ended, she would either go for her first or second – depending if she had morning classes – part time job of the day. That would be the waitressing job at Uncle Burger’s. On most days, that would be the last job she did before heading back home but, on that day, it was not. Handong limited herself to two jobs a day so that she would have time to study and also because she does not want to tire herself out. She could not afford to get sick, mainly because medical fees are expensive but also because she could not afford to miss a day of work as that would mean lesser income for the month and she needed to study.

Handong arrived at her second workplace, the library, which was a few miles away from the diner. It was a 24/7 library which allowed Handong to work until night. Unlike working at the diner, it was peaceful and quiet in the library. She would usually be left alone in the room to do filing and even if she were assigned to put the returned books back to their respective bookshelves or to organize them, it was still a quiet job. Also, unlike the diner, it was much cooler and rude customers could not really shout at them. She really enjoyed the atmosphere there though the pay was the same as the diner. Both her bosses once asked why she does not just stay in one place so that there would be no need for her to commute here and there but her answer was simple. She needed a change of atmosphere. Which was the main reason why she chose two different jobs in a completely different environment. She loved commuting on her bike too, enjoying the cooling breeze as she peddled. It gave her time to review the things she had learned in class too and she would often quiz herself on the way to her workplaces or home.

Her day usually ends at 10PM, regardless if it ended with her at the diner or the library after which she would bike back home. Though the sky was dark, the street lamps lit up the place brightly. Handong enjoyed biking across the various shops that were already closed. It was dark inside which made them looked eerie especially that toy store that felt like several eyes looking at her as she pedalled pass the store. The music store that was lively and loud during the day became dark and quiet too and Handong really enjoyed seeing the differences. The night really had a vibe that was not present during the day. While she would reflect on the things she had learned in classes that day while traveling, her mind would more often than not drift into her own imagination such as an alien invasion or a zombie apocalypse and suddenly she would be in a short action movie where she was chased or when she had to escape from the giant robot that was killing everybody. Sometimes, if her earphones happened to play a sad song, she would re-enact a sad scenario from some romance movie.

She really loved biking at night, except when it rained, and before she knew it, she would be back in the comfort of her home. Unlike many students, Handong does not live in the dormitory. The main reason she had applied to DCU law program was because it was near her home, so she need not pay extra for staying in the dormitory. Every night, after she reached home and showered, she would eat the dinner her grandmother had prepared for her while listening to the stories her grandmother would tell. She would then stay up for a few more hours to study while the music of her grandmother snoring played in the background before going to bed. That was how her day went for the past year and how she planned for it to be for the next three years. But on that day, when she reached home, it was different. Instead of her grandmother sitting on the table alone waiting for her, there was another person with her. Handong did not know who that person was, and she certainly did not know that the person at the dining table with her grandmother would change her life. 

*

A few hours ago…

Bora entered the gym, feeling nostalgic all of a sudden. It had been awhile since she stepped into it and all the memories came rushing into her brain. It was good to be back. The only person in the gym was Minji who had already started training. She beamed when she saw Bora and immediately ran over to give her a hug. Bora winced when Minji squeezed a little bit too hard and the taller girl immediately let go.

“It still hurts?” Minji asked with a worried face while looking at Bora’s right waist where she had been hit with a bat a few days ago, like she could see the big dark bruise she had seen when they accompanied Bora to the hospital that was covered by her shirt. The bruise had faded a little now and lucky there was no internal bleeding. According to the doctor, it was nothing serious though it would take a few weeks for it to recover.

“Only when there’s force.” Bora answered, “Otherwise I can’t really feel it.”

“It’s good to have you back!” Minji exclaimed, her expression went from worried to excited. “To be honest, I was kind of worried you would not turn up.”

“I will never do that ever again, captain.” Bora answered and Minji grinned widely before resuming her training, leaving Bora to get ready. Bora went into the store and found her knee pads without having to look around for it, it was in the exact same position she had left it. She picked it up and examined it. Her initials KBR sewn in purple were still clearly visible and there seemed to be new holes present, probably being nibbled by rats. Smiling, she put it on and was about to join Minji when the three new people she had not seen before entered the gym. They were chatting loudly and happily but immediately shut up when they saw Bora, like they were either scared or intimidated, maybe both. The bruise on Bora’s left cheek, near her mouth, did not help at all as the three just stared at Bora, not sure if they should smile or not. Their faces were pale with horror and Bora could tell they were trying to mask that. Was her presence really that scary? She looked towards Minji who was giggling and gave her a  _ ‘What did you tell them about me’ _ look but Minji just shrugged while trying not to laugh. Yubin looked one eye at Gahyeon and together, they pushed Yoohyeon to the front. The taller girl almost fell on top of Bora but she managed to balance herself. Her face, or rather, her chin, was just an inch away from Bora’s face. The older girl was shorter than she had expected and she had to look down to make eye contact with Bora. Bora, on the other hand, was confused and to be honest, a little entertained by the three but because she was not showing any expression, it scared Yoohyeon even more and the pink-haired girl forced out an awkward and apologetic smile.

“H-hi!” Yoohyeon managed to say. She wanted to introduce herself but what was her name again? Her gaze went down and landed on the bruise near Bora’s mouth. The thought of the shorter girl hitting her if she said something wrong popped into Yoohyeon’s head and she panicked even more. Sensing that the situation was not going to go anywhere and that Bora might be enjoying their fear a little too much, Minji finally stepped in.

“This is Kim Bora! She’s our other left-wing spiker.” Minji introduced as she placed a hand on Bora’s shoulder. “Also, ignore what you heard from Siyeon before. Bora only punched that guy because he was making fun of a kid. She is not violent.” So that was why the three seemed to be afraid of her. Bora waved at the three girls with a smile that erased the fear in their heads as they waved back.

“And Bora, this is Yoohyeon, Gahyeon and Yubin.” Minji continued and pointed at the three girls, respectively. “They’re all freshmen but Yoohyeon and Yubin had experience in high school. We’re still trying to figure out a position for Gahyeon but I think that would be a piece of cake since she’s quite talented.”

“What positions are vacant?” Bora asked Minji while the three younger girls went to get ready.

“If nobody wants to switch positions, we’re left with a middle blocker and a setter. I am thinking Gahyeon could try for middle blocker since she had spring and Yoohyeon had been guiding her on blocks and spikes. But then, we will still need a setter. For now, we’re just taking turns being one and having Yubin set for us when we’re practicing spikes.” Minji explained.

“So, we just need one more person and then we will be able to register as an official DCU club?” Bora confirmed and Minji nodded. A thought popped into Bora’s head, “Leave that to me.”

“You know someone?”

“Well, I don’t know her. But I know her grandmother and her grandmother loves me.”

*

Bora sat next to Granny Han as she waited for her granddaughter to come home from work. It was not the first time she had been here, having helped Granny Han push her leftover vegetables back many times before but it still fascinated her. Granny Han and her granddaughter lived in a studio apartment, therefore, unlike Bora’s house that had multiple rooms, one can view almost the entire apartment in one look the moment they entered, except for the bathroom. Most of their furniture was in the same room too. In comparison to Bora’s queen-sized bed, they slept on mattresses on the floor. The table they were currently sitting at were sandwiched between the TV that was just a few feet in front of them and the sleeping area that was behind them. The kitchen could be seen from the table but would otherwise be partially blocked if they were to move to the mattresses.

Though the apartment was small, Bora could feel the warmth that resided in the tiny place, something that she could not feel in her own home. Photos of the two smiling happily were placed around the area and whenever Granny Han talked about her granddaughter, she would be full of smiles. Bora had heard many stories from Granny Han. Her daughter got pregnant at the young age of 21 after a one-night stand. She did not know who the man was nor was she ready to be a mother. A few days after she gave birth, she packed up her things and left, leaving her daughter with her mother and never looked back.

Despite that, if Granny Han were given the opportunity to turn back time and stop her daughter from getting pregnant, there was no way she would take it. She loves her granddaughter more than anyone or anything in the world. It was hard to raise her on her own, especially as she grew older and weaker, but she would not trade all the moments she has had with her granddaughter for anything. Unlike her irresponsible daughter who left, her granddaughter had found a part time job the minute she could in addition to her busy studies so that she could share the responsibility of the household with Granny Han. Not to mention the fact that she was a hardworking student who got into a law program but also a fine volleyball player in high school. Granny Han had been to several of her matches and she was proud to see her granddaughter on the court playing for her school. Then again, she was proud to see her granddaughter do pretty much anything. But sadly, her granddaughter quit volleyball once she entered university so that she could juggle two jobs with her studies. Of course, she had applied for financial aid but a law program is expensive and she was only in her second year. She wanted to help lighten Granny Han’s workload as much as possible. Granny Han missed seeing her granddaughter on the court and because she knew her inside out, she knows that deep down, her granddaughter missed being on court too. Which was why she had jumped at the chance when Bora said that she wanted her granddaughter to join their team.

Just then, the door opened to reveal a tall girl with shoulder length dark hair. She was beautiful, slim and she looked expensive with the figure of a model. If Bora were to meet her on campus or on the street, she would not have pegged her as someone who needed to work two jobs to pay for their tuition fees, but rather someone who hung out in the same circle as her family. Everything about her screamed elegant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think in the comments! Also, I think I used too much variations of Dongdong's name? I'm not sure, let me know what you think! I have a few more character introductions but I swear the volleyball parts are coming up soon, probably like in 2 or 3 chapters? But my imagination sometimes sway too far from the main topic so... I woops in advance
> 
> Do let me know if I need to put trigger warnings too. I tend to neglect that sometimes.
> 
> Once again, thank you for waiting and I apologize for taking so long to update this and for future chapters as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished the chapter I have left on hold for months now!!! WOOOHOOOO~ Therefore, I can finally update this chapter that has been sitting in my folder and waiting for me to finish writing that new chapter!!! HAHAHAHA
> 
> Thank you for your patience, chapter 7 and all who have been waiting (if there is any)~
> 
> Enjoy!

People often judge Handong based on her looks and she often hears people talking about her being rich and stuck up. She had never once carried any branded things but people assumed she was rich by her appearance and the aura she emanates. She was definitely not stuck up, it was just that she needed time to warm up to others and she just did not have the time to stay after school to hang out with friends. If people would take the time to get to know her, maybe they would understand that she was actually a nice person but instead, they seemed to be scared or intimidated by her, like she was the Cullen family from Twilight. Before she got a part-time job, Handong would help her grandmother at the bridge, she hardly had time to interact with others then and it became lesser after she started working. But back then, she had volleyball and her teammates were her only friends but they had not been in contact since they graduated from high school and went their separate ways. As a result, Handong barely had any friends, only the few she had at the diner though, she would refer to them as more like colleagues instead of friends since she had never actually hung out with them outside of work. Therefore, Handong had no idea who the person sitting with her grandmother was, but she had someone in mind.

Like Bora, Granny Han had told Handong stories about the girl that had been helping her and Handong figured that the person at the table was probably that girl. She was exactly what her grandmother made her out to be, appearance wise, tiny but intimidating and pretty. Even in one glance, Handong could tell that the girl was confident and gave off a kind of royalty vibe, like a queen. They were from the same university and might have even crossed paths with each other but Handong did not have any recognition of seeing Bora before. 

Bora, on the other hand, could say the same about Handong too. She did not seem fazed at all by the stranger sitting with her grandmother, nor was there a change in her facial expression. There was a confidence that radiated from the taller girl too, accompanied with an air of elegance and Bora smiled at the girl with a tiny wave. She had been told by many that her first impression was often intimidating and she was trying to not seem that way. She did not want to scare Handong off though judging from the younger girl’s expression, or lack of expression, she probably had nothing to worry about. The girl seemed more intimidating than her.

“Hi!” Bora said, mimicking Minji’s bubbly personality which everybody seemed to like. She extended a hand for Handong to shake. “I’m Bora.”

“Hello, I’m Handong. Nana’s told me about you.” Handong replied, shaking Bora’s hand before dropping her backpack on the floor, next to one of the mattresses. Bora could not tell what the younger girl was thinking as her expression had not changed one bit for the past five minutes, but it was highly likely because of Bora’s presence. Like Granny Han had described, Handong takes a long time to warm up to strangers.

“Make yourself at home, Bora.” Handong said. She walked over to the wardrobe and grabbed a towel and her pyjamas after which she turned towards Granny Han and Bora finally saw a smile on the girl’s face. “I’m going to shower, you two have a nice chat.”

“Actually, Dongdong.” Granny Han said and Handong who was headed for the bathroom stopped. “Bora is here to speak with you.”

Granny Han gestured for Handong to sit down with them. Confused, Handong did as she was told. She had on a blank look and looked from her grandmother to Bora. Why? What could the older girl have to say to her? She was sure Bora was closer to her grandmother as she had never met the girl so why would she come to her home to talk to her? Just then, Bora cleared her throat and the cough snapped Handong out of her thoughts. Well, there was no use trying to figure it out anyway when the answer would be revealed soon.

“I will just cut right to the chase.” Bora started, “I would like you to join our volleyball team.”

That was totally unexpected. Of all the different topics that had played in Handong’s mind previously, most of which are related to legal advice, she has heard the stories of Bora getting into trouble plenty of times from her grandmother, but volleyball was definitely not one of them. Handong knew Bora played volleyball, she had heard her grandmother talked about it before. Which was why she also knew that Bora had quit and that the volleyball club was barely functioning and not recognized as an official club. However, at least this question would be easier to answer, or so she thought.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have time for volleyball right now.” Handong answered, “And if there is nothing else, you may leave.”

That came out a little stronger than Handong had wanted and she did not mean to be rude but volleyball had always been a touchy subject for her. She loves the sport but her future was more important than some hobby. Right now, she needed money for her tuition fees, to save up for the future so that her grandmother could stop working as soon as possible, hopefully in the next year or so. When she finally graduates, she will get a job and earn a lot of money. They can move to a bigger house and travel around the world and have fun without having to worry about the cost of things. That was the plan.

“What position did you play?” Bora attempted.

“Setter.” Handong replied. 

“Oh my God, really?” Bora gasped, unable to hide her surprise. Granny Han had always mentioned that her granddaughter used to be a volleyball player too but she had no idea what the names of the positions were. Bora had initially thought that she would act surprised for whatever position Handong played because they lack a teammate of said position but in this case, the expression was genuine and it was looking a lot like fate. What are the chances that Handong would play the position that they need? Well, the math was actually pretty simple but not to Bora.

“That is exactly the position we needed!” Bora exclaimed, “Please join us.”

“Like I said, no.” Handong refused. “I’m sure you already know that I work 2 part time jobs every day and I still need to study. I have no time to train.”

“But I hear from Granny Han that you have financial aid?”

“Do you seriously think that is enough to cover my tuition fees and our living expenses? I am saving up so that Nana can stop working so hard and enjoy life as soon as possible.” Handong was getting agitated but she was not sure why either. She had always been a calm person, perhaps she just wanted the older girl to leave and stop talking about volleyball. It just served as a reminder that she could not do something she loves. If money were not a problem, of course she would immediately agree except it is and that is life. She wanted to continue but even though her grandmother trusted Bora, she herself barely knew the girl enough to say what was on her mind.

“What about I lend you the money and you can pay me back afterwards?” Bora regretted those words as soon as they came out of her mouth. She had panicked at the younger girl’s rejection and that was the first suggestion that came to mind. Maybe she should have brought Minji or Siyeon along, they were always better at communicating than she is. If Bora could not tell what was on Handong’s mind before, she could definitely now and the girl was angry. Her facial expression was beyond pissed as she sniggered.

“Why is it that rich people always think that they can just shove money into other people’s faces? We are not some charity case that you can just do. I won’t expect a princess like you to understand so please leave.” Handong said. She walked over to the door and opened it for Bora, signalling for the girl to leave.

“Dongie, I’m sure she did not mean it like that.” Granny Han tried to interject but was stopped by Bora who was embarrassed by herself. She had always thought that she was different than other rich people but maybe she was more like them than she had thought. At that moment, she was ashamed of herself. Ashamed that she would actually use money to try to buy someone.

“I’m sorry.” Bora said before she left.

*

It was a scorching hot day and the sky was clear of all clouds, letting the sun have all the attention as it shone dazzlingly on the surface of the bridge. The warmth of the sun radiated passed people’s skin and into their bones, sweat slithered down the bodies of many, like snakes. Nobody could escape the heat and people were dressed in clothing that allowed their limbs to breathe while the hats on their heads failed miserably at blocking the sun. It was the same for the grandmother and granddaughter duo as they camped under their little gazebo tent. Half of Handong’s body was protected by the shade while the other half was exposed to the sun. She was probably going to come out of the day looking like a Manchester United fan but she was already used to the sunburn. It was not the first time she accompanied her grandmother at her stall on a hot day. Neither was doing work on the floor of the bridge. Handong had on her glasses and was focused on the notebook on her lap with several opened textbooks placed in front of her on the floor as she wrote down notes upon notes. Usually at this time, she would be working at the diner but it was closed for the day because rats were found which was a rare occurrence. Perhaps on this hot day, even rats needed refuge. The diner owner had called in pest control but they would have to close the diner for two days for a thorough cleansing. Handong tried taking a shift at the library but was informed that the slot had already been taken by someone else and hence, Handong was able to hang out with her grandmother on this hot afternoon.

The second-year law student always hung out with her grandmother at her bridge stall whenever she did not have to work. She would bring along her study materials to study alongside her working grandmother. Each time she came, Granny Han would ask her to go home so that she would have a comfortable place to study but Handong would insist on staying. It worries Granny Han that Handong does not spend time with friends though her granddaughter seemed to be perfectly fine with that but knowing Handong well, she knew the girl was dying to play outside. Maybe there was even a hint of loneliness in her heart though she would never show that. Whenever Granny Han tried to get the girl to relax and do something fun, Handong would say that she would get to have fun after she got a good job but that would mean that she would be missing out on her youth. Handong would once again say that she was fine with that. Granny Han wondered where she got her stubbornness from, but she missed her granddaughter who was once carefree and happy. But since high school, the smile on her face became less bright as before and when university came, it faded even more.

Granny Han kept peeking at her granddaughter while calling out for customers. The girl had her head buried in books and was completely oblivious to the constant peeking. An hour went by and after selling a few more bags of potato chips to a few students who went by, Granny Han finally plucked up the courage to talk to Handong.

“Dongdong.” Granny Han called out in her usual soft, caring tone. The tone Bora had asked her to keep repeating when she first called her name. Granny Han looked at Handong who was still focused on her notes, clearly did not hear her grandmother calling her. Her nose was scrunched up and Granny Han could tell that she was trying to wrap her mind around something she was reading. Usually, she would stop interrupting her granddaughter and let her study in peace but on that day, she really had something to say so she tried again.

“Dongdong.” The same tone was being projected out on the open area but again, Handong had no reaction. Granny Han thought that perhaps her voice got lost with the other sounds that could be heard on the bridge so she tried again but louder this time.

“Dongdong!”

“Yeah?” Handong lifted her head to look at her grandmother. The innocent look on her face showing that she had not heard her name being called twice before as she pushed her glasses up. She put her pen down and closed her notebook so that she could focus all the attention on her grandmother. Granny Han looked into the eyes of her granddaughter. Those eyes that had lost a little bit of sparkle they had before, and Granny Han was more determined than ever. She was not going to let the once shimmering eyes fade into darkness.

“I think you should join the volleyball club.” Granny Han went straight to the point. There was no use beating around the bush. Handong looked at her grandmother, unsure of what to say. She could feel the anger from the day Bora visited rose in her. After Bora had left, Handong had immediately gone to shower without a word and when she came out, Granny Han was already asleep. It had been a few days since then and neither of them had brought up the topic. Granny Han had not seen Bora since that day too. “And it was rude of you to chase our guest away when she was being nothing but nice.” Handong contemplated for a second before speaking up.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. She was just trying to help.” Handong thought back to that day and her anger simmered down. She was angry that Bora had tried to buy her into the team but then again, the older girl was only suggesting the best solution she could think of in that moment and rather than being arrogant about it, Bora was clearly embarrassed by it. Granny Han trusted her too, so she was probably not a bad person, just someone who grew up without having to worry about money. Handong let herself wonder what that felt like but quickly snapped out of it as she returned her attention back onto her grandmother.

“I’m not the one you should apologize to.” Granny Han said and Handong nodded.

“I’ll apologize to her in person.” Handong replied. There was a pause and Handong thought the conversation had ended so she opened her notebook and began reading the last sentence she had written down previously. 

“So, will you join the volleyball club?” Granny Han asked. Handong stopped reading and stared at her notebook.

“I can’t, it’s not part of the plan.” Handong replied without looking away from her notebook. She wanted that conversation to end and hence, she pretended to be immersed in her notes but she was just staring at the words neatly written in her notebook. She was staring so hard at the words that they were beginning to not make any sense. She tried to focus on reading those now blurred out words but her mind was just silently hoping that her grandmother would get the message and stop talking to her about joining the volleyball club.

“I think you should.” Unfortunately, Handong’s hopes went down the drain as Granny Han had no intention of failing her own personal mission. She was stubborn like that and Handong wondered who she got it from. Once again, Handong could feel the frustration building up in her at the topic, more so out of desperation to get out of the current conversation rather than anger towards her grandmother who brought up the topic.

“I ca-“ Handong tried to repeat herself but was interrupted by Granny Han who has heard that two words so many times the past week, she was starting to get annoyed at the constant self-doubt of modern day young adults. The thought that maybe Bora and Handong would get along brushed past her mind.

“Of course, you can!” Granny Han said with an angry tone which surprised Handong. It had been awhile since she last saw her grandmother angry. It left her speechless, which Granny Han took as a sign for her to continue.

“You thought you had to carry the family burden but you don’t have to.” Granny Han switched her tone back to her soft one. “Not alone. Are you belittling your grandmother? I am very strong, as you should know from the many times you lost to me in arm wrestling.” Granny Han joked mockingly and fake gasped. Handong let out a chuckle despite the tears that were forming in her eyes.

“I just didn’t want you to work so hard.” Handong said, blinking her eyes a few times to control her tears from falling out. “You’re at an age where you should be relaxing, playing chess with other seniors, doing taichi, travelling. Not working under the hot sun or running from the rain. The plan was to earn enough so that I could pay off the rest of my tuition fees, our bills and save enough so that you can stop working as soon as possible.”

“And I want you to have some fun while you’re still young and not just study and work all day, every day.” Granny Han replied.

“I can have all the fun in the world after I become a lawyer.”

“But you’re going to miss out on all the memories you could have made at this age! Friends and people that will be with you for a long time. The mistakes you could have made and the lessons you could have learned. Those are not things you can get from textbooks, those are things you have to experience yourself! Things like getting drunk and landing yourself in jail!” 

“I think we’re getting off track here, Nana.” Handong laughed at the example her grandmother just used. “Do you want me to get arrested?”

“I meant experiences, Dongdong! Maybe you should get arrested! It’ll maybe help you become a better lawyer if you understand what being caught felt like.” Granny Han explained and Handong laughed again. “Anyways, and what makes you think I hated working? I love working. Every morning, me and Auntie Kim from that perfume booth and Uncle Park from the newspaper stand would gossip about the neighbourhood. I love the many people I get to meet on this bridge and the nice friends I have made. The many fights that happened around here. The sun gives me energy and working is my form of exercise. How else do I stay in shape?”

“But- “

“All I’m saying is that you don’t have to work two jobs to keep us alive, Dong. My current income plus one of your jobs is enough.” Granny Han stroked Handong’s hair as she looked into her eyes, those eyes that created a sad feeling in Granny Han’s heart. “I hate seeing those eyes so tired and lifeless all the time. The last time I saw them sparkle was during your last volleyball match in high school. You were so happy that day even though your team lost, and you looked like an actual teenager back then. Now, those eyes are like some middle-aged man worrying about their investments. I want to see them shine again.”

Handong looked at her grandmother, unsure of what to say. She could not deny that her heart had wavered at the words coming from her grandmother but that would mean that she would have to change her plan. The plan that she had been working hard at for the past year. That would mean that it would take a longer time for her grandmother to be able to stop working under these hot and cold weather and that worries her. The times her grandmother had almost fall whenever it started to rain and she had to get out of there quickly. The times the weather got so hot that it was almost unbearable. 

“Look, just take the time to think about it. Okay? Don’t worry about me so much, I can take care of myself and the people around here would help me too.” Granny Han said like she could read her granddaughter’s mind and Handong nodded. She opened her notebook that had closed itself sometime during their conversation and picked up the pen that she had left in it. Pushing her glasses back up, she tried to read the words written in there for the umpteenth time that day but her mind kept going back to what her grandmother had said. The look of sadness she had on her when she said those words. Suddenly, it felt like everything was clearer. Maybe she need not have to work two part time jobs a day. Perhaps she really does not need to think so much about money right now. Maybe it would be alright to have a little fun in university. She really missed the sport and though she may seem fine with her current social life, it would be nice to have friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We need more Handong in glasses, just saying.
> 
> Anyways, as usual, do leave comments and feedback~ I would really appreciate it. Thank you for reading and see you again next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you'll enjoy it!

After much pondering for the past few days at the only thing that was on her mind, Handong found herself with her gym bag and in her sports gear pacing back and forth at the stairs leading to the volleyball gym. She had walked all the way there after class with determination but once she was just a staircase away, she began having second thoughts. Maybe she should just stick to the plan. It is not too late to take up a shift at the library right now. Is her grandmother really fine with working at the bridge? What if Bora hated her? What if Bora told the other girls about how rude she was that day and they all hated her too? Maybe she should just go. A million thoughts ran in Handong’s mind and her pacing became quicker. In fact, her pacing was so fast, it could count as a warmup exercise and that was how nervous Handong was at that moment. Suddenly, a girl shorter than her appeared in her view in front of her, stopping her in her tracks and interrupting her thoughts. She looked at the girl and the girl looked back. Like her, the girl had on her sports gear and was carrying a backpack and a gym bag.

“Are you alright?” The girl asked, staring into Handong’s eyes with genuine concern and Handong nodded.

“Good to know. Because you were pacing so fast just now, I thought something’s wrong.” The girl smiled in relief. She waved a goodbye at Handong before climbing up the stairs and disappeared, Handong all the while staring at her without a word. She figured that the girl must be from the volleyball team too and somehow, like all her worries had been answered, Handong headed for the stairs and began climbing up too. The view of the gym getting clearer and clearer with each step until finally, a dome shaped building revealed itself. Handong did not know what she was expecting, but it definitely was not the eerie chills sent down her spine that radiated from the view before her even during broad daylight. The place looked haunted and if it was not for the sound of balls bouncing in the gym and the shouting of a few girls, Handong would have turned tail. Nerves began to build inside her once again as she slowly approached the gym until it was just a door between her and her new campus life. Taking a deep breath, Handong opened the door. It was a little loose than she thought it would be so she accidentally opened the door with too much force. The door slid to the side with speed and stopped with a loud impact, the sound so deafening it surprised not only Handong but also the rest of the girls in the gym as they all turned their heads toward the entrance. Suddenly, all eyes were on Handong and she could feel her face heating up. Scanning around the area, Handong spotted the girl she had seen earlier on and gave her a little nod. She continued scanning the area until her eyes landed on Bora, the older girl was shocked to say the least. Unsure of what Bora felt about her, Handong gave the shorter girl a smile and a wave, hoping that it would ease the tension they had previously.

“Handong?” Bora asked as she approached the law student. “What are you doing here?”

“First things first, I would like to apologize for my behaviour that day when you visited. You were being nice but I was rude to you and for that I apologize.” Handong said to Bora when she stopped in front of her. The rest of the girls looked at them, most of them curious of who the black-haired girl that interrupted their training was.

“What? No, I’m the one who should apologize. I was being a rich brat who thought money could solve everything. I did not even think of how much my words could have hurt. I’m really sorry.” Bora apologized. Ever since that day, the art student had been doing some serious self-reflection. Turning into a person like her parents who prioritized money over humanity was the last thing Bora wanted. She had been wanting to apologize to Handong but had no idea how to even approach the girl. Therefore, she was grateful that Handong had come to her first, was not mad at her and even apologized.

“No, I overreacted. You were not being a rich brat. Rich, sure. But definitely not a brat.” Handong replied and the two laughed while the others were still staring at the exchange, unsure if they should resume training and let the two talk in peace or continue staring creepily at them like aunties looking at a drama happening on the street.

“Let bygones be bygones?” Bora said, extending her hand out for Handong to shake as a sign of peace. Handong nodded and took Bora’s hand in her own. “So, I’ll see you around campus? Maybe we could grab a bite or something someday.” 

At that, Handong smiled. One, because she felt like she just made a new friend, and two, because Bora still had no idea of what she was about to say next. She had thought perhaps Bora might have figured it out since she had her gym bag and was in her sports attire but that does not seem like the case and she could tell that Bora clearly had no clue. The shorter girl was looking at Handong for an answer.

“Actually, we might be seeing each other more often now.” Handong teased which confused Bora. She was clueless. Handong was enjoying the look on Bora’s face.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I had a talk with nana and after much contemplation, I have decided to join the volleyball team as a setter.” Handong announced which earned a few gasps. Bora’s face light up with joy and she was just about to give Handong a hug when she was pushed away lightly by the red-haired captain who had been listening intently at their conversation. Minji placed both her hands on Handong’s shoulders as she stared into Handong’s eyes with gratefulness in her own before wrapping Handong into a tight hug and thanking her profusely. Handong was surprised at the sudden embrace by someone who she did not even know what her name was.

“Words cannot describe how much I love you right now.” Minji said when she released Handong from her embrace. She wanted to let go but she was too happy that she pulled Handong in for another hug, not caring that she might be being slightly dramatic. The rest of the girls laughed at them while Handong’s eyes widened, not sure what to say or do and just letting herself be squeezed by her new teammate.

*

The volleyball team gathered at Uncle Burger’s a week later for a meeting after their training ended. Handong needed to rush off to work and therefore, instead of having their meeting at the gym, they decided to have it at Handong’s workplace so that their setter would not miss it. Also, they were starving too. However, there was one person missing and that was their captain. The team decided to order their food first while waiting for the captain who had an errand to run.

“Here you go. Chicken burgers for Yubin and Yoohyeon, mentaiko pasta for Gahyeon and Bora, carbonara for Siyeon and 5 milkshakes.” Handong said as she served the food ordered by the girls one by one in front of them. “Enjoy.”

“Wait, what about you?” Gahyeon asked when she saw that Handong was about to leave their table instead of joining them.

“I can’t eat, I’m working.” Handong replied and Gahyeon pouted. They were always extremely hungry after their training and that includes Handong though sadly, the girl could not eat yet. Usually when Handong was hungry, she would steal a few fries or two from the kitchen but it was rush hour and the diner was packed with similarly starving carnivores. Handong could barely stop moving to eat. Understanding Handong’s situation, the five girls on the table picked up a few of their fries and offered them to Handong who allowed the girls to stuff them into her mouth quickly before continuing working.

Half an hour passed and the girls were still enjoying their dinner when a ding could be heard coming from the diner entrance and in walked their red-haired captain with a huge grin on her face as she scanned the fast food joint for her teammates. She practically ran over while waving a piece of paper in her hand, to their table when she spotted them and settled herself next to the empty space beside Bora. One of the waitresses hurried to them when she saw the newly entered customer taking a seat.

“A chicken burger set with extra fries, the 12-piece fried chicken and 2 vanilla milkshakes please.” Minji ordered her dinner in a panting voice. “I’m starving!”

The waitress took note of her order and left. Minji looked around for Handong and gestured for the younger girl to join them when she saw her cleaning up a table nearby. Handong took note of her surroundings, noticing that the crowd in the diner had begun to die down as compared to thirty minutes ago. Deciding that it was a good time to rest for a few minutes, Handong cleared the table before joining her teammates.

“Girls!” Minji announced when Handong sat down next to Siyeon and grabbed a few of her fries, “We are officially a recognized DCU club!”

The rest of the girls at the table looked up and at the piece of paper Minji was holding up. Sure enough, it was a letter of confirmation that their club application has been accepted. With the help of their advisor, a Professor Moon Byulyi from the education department, Minji had registered their club and after a few days of waiting for the campus to review their application, they finally got back their result. Minji went on to further explain that they may now participate in competitions and tournaments under DCU and are eligible to request for resources from the campus as well as transportation to and fro official events. That would also mean that they could replace some of the broken equipment in the gym, within budget of course, and that Minji no longer had to fix the lightbulbs herself. They are however, not allowed to use the new gyms because the schedule for gym usage was already out weeks ago, nor does Minji have the desire to switch gyms, she loved the current one too much, much to the dismay of the freshmen.

“And you know what the best part is?” Minji exclaimed, “We could finally get a coach!”

Minji loved teaching and guiding the rest of the girls but there was only so much she could do. She lacked the experience and skills that a coach could bring to the table, not to mention the fact that it was hard for her to monitor the girls while she was in the training herself. It was impossible for Minji to have an overview of the entire court like a coach would have standing on the sidelines and therefore, a lot of the times, some mistakes were left unseen because Minji was either too focused on herself or on someone else or she just simply missed it because it was not in her line of sight.

“But how? Like where would we even begin to find someone willing to be a coach of a team that was just formed a week ago and only had 7 members?” Bora asked. The rest of the girls looked at Minji with the same concern in their eyes as Bora. Their captain, however, was not worried about it at all as she took a sip of her vanilla milkshake that had just arrived while pushing the other glass towards Handong. Handong looked from Minji to the milkshake her captain had ordered for her before happily taking a sip too.

“That is not a problem.” Minji said when she swallowed her milkshake, letting out an  _ ahhhh _ when the sweet refreshing taste of the vanilla milkshake ran down her throat, cooling her stomach. “Professor Moon confidently told me that she would take care of that. And when she said she will, she will so I am not too worried about that. She probably already had a plan beforehand or something.”

The rest of the girls nodded their heads. The younger girls had not seen Professor Moon before, but it seemed like their seniors trusted and like their advisor and hence, it was reassuring. Suddenly, Minji raised her glass of milkshake and the others looked at her curiously.

“Thank you all for joining the team and for willing to follow under my lead.” Minji began, feeling emotional all of a sudden as she looked around the table from one face to another. “I may be lacking in many areas but I promise I will be the best captain I can be. A captain and a friend that can sturdily support all of you not just in volleyball, but in life as well.”

The rest of the team looked at Minji and at each other as they raised their own glass. Without even having to say a word, they know they could trust each other and that they will always have each other’s backs no matter what.

“To DCU volleyball club!” Minji exclaimed.

“To DCU volleyball club!” The rest of the team followed and they clinked their glasses together, their voices resonated in the diner.

*

“Come on, please!” Professor Moon begged as she raised her 1kg dumbbell shakily like she was raising a 10kg one. Her long hair was tied up in a ponytail and every time she lifted the dumbbell, the glasses on her face slid down her nose and she had to push it back up. Her gym partner and friend stood up, placed the dumbbell she had been using back on its rack before heading for the treadmill, Professor Moon following suit. Her tall and beautiful friend turned a few heads while she was headed for the machine but it was not like they cared. They probably either recognized her or were just mesmerized by her beauty. The tall athlete simply ignored them along with her friend’s begging.

“You know I wouldn’t have asked you if I had any other options, right?” Byulyi said as she walked on the treadmill that was set to 1.6kph. Meanwhile, her friend was already running at 9.6kph with her earphones in.

“The previous coach had retired and I had no one else to turn to!” Byulyi continued begging. “You are my only hope, mine and 7 other young girls. Think about them like they are the younger version of you. Come on, Ryu Sera, you were once young and had dreams too.”

Once again, the professor was left on silent. Desperate and slightly frustrated, Byulyi got off her treadmill and went over to her friend’s, placing a finger on the speed button of the treadmill and pressing it vigorously until the number reached 0. 

“Hey!” Sera finally said and took her earphones off, looking down and into Byulyi’s eyes which intimidated the professor a little but she managed to stand her ground.

“Please.” Byulyi put her hands together and flashed her puppy dog eyes but sadly it did not work.

“No, there must be someone else better suited than me.” Sera said. She picked up her things and went over to sit on the nearby benches with Byulyi following closely behind, not giving up.

“There isn’t! That is what I had been trying to say. Look, they are a team of good players but they had only managed to just form up a team enough to play in competitions. They do not even have substitute players. I have tried asking around but the reality is that there are no coaches who are willing to take up a small team because of limited options, less flexibility on team formations and the probability of them winning is low, not to mention the pay isn’t high enough. That is what they told me.” Byulyi explained with despair in her voice. 

“I even told them we have 2 players who won high school best positions but they think that wasn’t enough. They say, and I quote, even the best players will be unable to perform at their full potential when placed in a lousy team. They had not even met the rest of the girls and they already deemed them as lousy? Let me tell you, they are not. But good riddance really, I wouldn’t want this kind of person teaching my kids.” Byulyi was getting angry.

“What positions?” Sera asked and Byulyi looked at her with a confused expression like she had not been the one to mention it. “You said high school best positions. What best positions?”

“Best libero and best middle blocker.” Byulyi answered. It was beginning to sound interesting to Sera and she was intrigued but not just by the two best positions but also by their story. Byulyi had tried to persuade her over the past few days and Sera could pretty much sum up their current circumstances and what the girls had been through to be able to finally form a team. She despised the coaches Byulyi had mentioned too. It was never just about winning. It was about the amount of hard work one is willing to put in to fulfil their dreams. She had learned that throughout her career as a volleyball player for the national team. However, as intriguing as it sounds, Sera had her own roadblock to cross. 

“It will be good for you too, you know.” Byulyi said, knowing what was on Sera’s mind after having known her for years. Sera knew what she was going to say. She wanted to stop her but part of her wanted Byulyi to persuade her too. Perhaps, she had already made up her mind a long time ago, perhaps even from the start when Byulyi first came to her with the job offer. But she needed something to push her to do it, an excuse that she had no other choice but to accept and there was one thing that Byulyi had been trying hard not to mention. The one thing, the only thing that Sera knew would make the offer irresistible and finally it was coming and so she stayed silent. 

“That injury happened a long time ago, it’s time to move on.” Byulyi said timidly, not sure how Sera would take it. The period of recovery was a hard time for Sera not just because of the pain in her left ankle that comes whenever she moves but also because she had to learn to accept the fact that she could never play volleyball again. A cart rolling down the hill at high speed, hitting her ankle was enough to take away her dreams. It took her a year to be able to start exercising again at a healthy pace for her ankle but Sera stopped talking about volleyball. It just brought her pain but it was also the thing she loved the most in the entire world.

“I know the accident crushed your dreams but that does not mean you can’t dream again.” Byulyi said while looking into Sera’s eyes. “Please. Just come take a look on Saturday. You will be helping the girls fulfil their dreams and who knows, maybe you will find new dreams in these girls.”

There was silence as the two sat there, Byulyi waiting patiently for Sera to take her words in while Sera contemplated. Byulyi had said it, the excuse she needed to take up volleyball again. Dreams. Sera had been trying to find the meaning to life since the accident, a motivation that would keep her going and forget the fact that her dreams were crushed. Taking the job would remind her of the things she had been trying to forget but maybe instead of forgetting, what she really needed is to accept that the accident had happened and to use it to forge new dreams.

“Fine. Saturday.” Sera said as she stood up and left to shower. Byulyi stared as her friend walked away, her eyes slowly gleaming into joy and she mentally cheered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE TEAM IS FINALLY TOGETHER!!! It took 8 chapters?!?! OMFG How are y'all still reading this??? 
> 
> I sincerely thank everyone who stood by this somewhat slow burning (mainly because of the time taken in between updates) story! Thank you very much! This past few months has been a great journey and we've finally come to an end! I really appreciate each and every one of you who read Just Dream It, And Do It (why did I decide on this long title) and those who left pretty comments! Thank you!!! I hope I will be able to write even better stories in the future! . . .
> 
> JUST KIDDING! There are still ways to go with this story~ Until next update! (Please don't leave)


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